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UNiVER^ITY  OF     I 
CALIFORNIA     J 


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Illustrations 


FOR 


Sermons  and  Instructions 

Definitions,  Word- Pictures,  Exemplifications,  Quotations, 
and  Stories,  explanatory  of  Catholic  Doctrine  and  Practice. 

Gathered   from    the  Sacred  Scriptures,  from  the  Works 

of  the    Fathers    and     Saints,    and     from    the    Writings 

of  recent  Authors  and   Preachers  of  Note. 


Edited  By 

REVEREND    CHARLES   J.    CALLAN 

OF  THE  Order  of  Preachers 


JOSEPH     F.     WAGNER     (INC.) 
NEW    YORK 


Bi\)il  ©fafitat: 

V.   F.   O'DANIEL,   O.P.,   S.T.M. 
J.    A.    McHUGH,    O.P.,    S.T.Lr. 

3[inpnmt  potest: 

J.   R.   MEAGHER,  O.P.,  S.T.Lr. 


LOAN  ST^fZ^ 
Bm  ©bfitat: 

REMIGIUS   LAFORT.   D.D. 
Censor 


STinprimatur: 


►J.JOHN    CARDINAL    FARLEY 

Archbishop  of  New  York 


New  York,  October  8,  1916 


Copyright,   1916,  by  Joseph   F.   Wagner,  New  York 


EDITOR'S    PREFACE 

In  submitting  to  the  public  the  present  collection  of  Illustrations 
for  Sermons  and  Instructions,  the  editor  wishes  respectfully  to  call 
the  attention  of  its  readers  to  the  fact  that  it  does  not  in  any  sense 
pretend  to  be  complete.  Both  as  to  the  number  of  subjects  touched 
upon,  and  the  manner  of  treating  these  subjects,  the  editor  is,  there- 
fore, fully  aware  that  this  compilation  cannot  be  considered  other  than 
limited  and  fragmentary. 

The  order  followed  in  this  volume  and  the  method  of  arranging  the 
quotations  for  the  various  topics  herein  developed  may,  indeed,  be  con- 
sidered logical,  at  least  in  a  general  way ;  but  even  in  these  particulars 
a  strict  and  exact  sequence  especially  in  minor  details  and  in  the 
number  of  points  treated  under  each  chapter  and  heading,  has  not 
been  insisted  on  or  aimed  at.  The  compiler  has  simply  put  together 
under  a  numb'^r  of  headings  which,  for  the  most  part,  naturally 
follow  one  another,  a  collection  of  notes,  thoughts  and  Scriptural 
citations  gathered  through  years  of  careful  reading.  And  as  it  was 
not  at  any  time  his  intention  or  desire  to  arrange  a  volume  for  pub- 
lication, these  quotations,  although  from  a  large  number  of  authors, 
represent  only  those  writers  and  preachers  whom  he  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  read  most  frequently.  This  will  explain  why  so  many  great 
preachers  and  writers,  past  and  present,  do  not  figure  in  this  work. 
It  is,  in  truth,  evident  that  if  anything  approaching  a  complete  collec- 
tion of  representative  quotations  from  all  the  great  Catholic  preach- 
ers and  writers  on  religious  subjects  were  to  be  given,  there  would 
necessarily  result  not  one,  but  many  large  volumes.  Thus  the  work 
would  become  too  cumbersome  for  convenient  use,  and  its  practical 
value  would  be  greatly  diminished. 

Let  it  further  be  noted,  as  already  hinted,  that  the  publication  of 
this  collection  of  notes  has  been  entirely  due,  not  to  the  compiler's 
wishes  or  choice,  but  to  the  urgent  suggestions  and  positive  action  of 
friends,  who,  knowing  of  the  existence  of  the  collection,  have  earnestly 
felt  that,  through  publication,  others  should  be  given  the  pleasure 
and  the  benefit  of  reading  and  pondering  its  useful  contents.  Only 
after  long  and  repeated  urging,  consequently,  have  friends  of  the 


iv  EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

compiler    succeeded    in    obtaining    the   consent    necessary    that    this 
collection  should  be  published. 

But  aside  from  any  part  that  any  one  has  had  in  collecting  these 
notes,  or  in  arranging  and  editing  this  volume,  it  will  be  clear  to  the 
reader,  from  the  number  and  high  character  of  the  authors  quoted, 
that  such  a  collection  ought  to  be  very  useful  for  preaching  and 
meditation.  Assuredly  the  thoughts  and  words  of  great  thinkers,  of 
profound  scholars,  of  devout  and  religious  men  and  women,  must 
at  all  times  be  profitable  to  all.  and,  in  particular,  to  those  whose 
state  of  life  requires  that  they  should  give  to  others,  by  preaching 
and  writing,  that  sound  doctrine  and  spiritual  nourishment  which  the 
life  of  the  soul  demands.  It  is  thoughts  and  ideas  that  they  who 
would  speak  to  others  need.  Given  the  training  and  education  that 
belong  to  each  one's  calling  in  life,  it  is  not  so  much  long  treatises  and 
volumes  on  single  questions  that  one  requires,  as  thoughts  and  ideas 
on  the  particular  various  questions  which  one  desires  to  treat.  Hence 
the  writer  or  preacher  on  doctrinal  and  religious  topics  needs  thoughts 
— he  needs  the  thoughts  and  ideas  of  others  to  stimulate  and  set  in 
motion  his  own  stream)  of  thought. 

The  subjects  discussed  in  this  work  are  partly  dogmatic,  partly 
moral.  There  has  been  no  special  attempt  to  insist  more  on  the  one 
than  on  the  other,  so  that  fairly  equal  attention  has  been  extended  to 
both.  In  view,  therefore,  of  the  variety  of  the  topics  considered,  and 
in  particular  of  the  number  and  quality  of  the  authors  quoted,  it  is 
the  earnest  hope  of  the  compiler  and  of  the  editor  that  the  present 
volume  will  be  found  servicable  to  a  large  circle  of  readers.  May 
the  instructive  and  uplifting  thoughts  of  the  great  authors  here 
quoted  be  a  stimulus  and  an  inspiration  to  many  more  whose  sacred 
vocation  it  is  to  teach  others  the  way  to  truth,  to  virtue,  and  to 
eternal  life. 

Charles  J.  Callan,  O.  P. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  I.    God;  The  Blessed  Trinity;  The  Divine  Persons  i 

The  Blessed  Trinity 15 

Jesus  Christ 17 

The  Holy  Ghost 35 

Chapter  II.    The  Saints;  The  Blessed  Virgin;  The  Angels.  .  36 

The  Blessed  Virgin 43 

The  Angels 58 

Chapter    III.      Man;    The    Soul;    Immortality;    The    La.st 

Things  ;  Eternity 63 

The  Soul 66 

Eternity    69 

Death    72 . 

The  Judgment 78 

Purgatory 85 

Heaven  90 

Hell 93 

Chapter  IV.     Religion;  Faith;  The  Church;  Secret  Socie- 
ties ;  Socialism 100 

Faith io6 

Revelation  and  Tradition 114 

The  Bible 118 

Mysteries    121 

The  Church 124 

The  Church  and  Science 135 

The  Church  and  Civilization 139 

The  Pope 142 

The  Commandments 149 

Outside  the  Church 151 

The  Church  and  Social  Conditions 159 

Secret  Societies 168 

Socialism   169 

Chapter  V.    Grace  ;  The  Means  of  Grace 172 

Prayer 181 

The   Sacraments 188 

Baptism 188 

Confirmation 191 

The  Holy  Eucharist 191 

v 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  V.    Grace;  The  Means  of  Grace — Continued  page 

Penance    207 

Extreme  Unction 225 

Holy    Orders 225 

Matrimony 232 

Sacramentals 245 

Ceremonies ;  Liturgy 248 

Chapter  VI.    The  Love  of  God  and  of  Our  Neighbour;  The 

Virtues   254 

Virtues  268 

Chastity 272 

Hope   275 

Resignation 280 

Adversities 282 

Good  Works 289 

Prayer 291 

Perseverance  293 

Temptation 294 

Books  and  Reading 299 

Humility 302 

Mortification   305 

Fasting  306 

Alms   308 

The  Cardinal  Virtues 310 

Meekness   314 

The  Way  of  Perfection 315 

Chapter  VH.    Sin 326 

Presumption 338 

Impurity 339 

Anger 344 

Untruthfulness   347 

Hypocrisy 349 

Slander ;  Detraction 351 

Rash  Judgment 355 

Scandal 357 

Unlawful  Gain 358 

Envy 360 

Pride 361 

Intemperance    362 

Varia 363 

Ai.phabetua'    Index 371 


ILLUSTRATIONS 
FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 


CHAPTER    I 

GOD;    THE    BLESSED    TRINITY;    THE    DIVINE 
PERSONS 

[Note — The  quotations  are  invariably  from  approved  Catholic  sources,  unless  otherwise 
designated  —  Some  subjects  are  referred  to  under  various  heads  for  which  consult  the 
Subject  Index.^ 

THE   EXISTENCE   OF  GOD 

I  asked  the  earth,  and  it  said,  'Tis  not  I.  And  all  things  therein 
confessed  the  same.  I  asked  the  sea  and  the  deeps  and  the  Hving 
things  thereof,  and  they  answered:  We  are  not  thy  God,  seek  higher 
above  us.  I  asked  the  fleeting  air  above,  and  the  whole  region  of  it, 
with  its  inhabitants,  cried  out:  Anaximencs  is  mistaken,  I  am  net 
God.  I  asked  the  heavens,  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars :  Neither 
are  wc,  said  they,  the  God  whom  thou  seekest.  And  I  said  to  all 
these  things  which  stand  around  the  doors  of  my  flesh:  You  have 
told  me  concerning  my  God,  that  you  are  not  He,  give  me  at  least 
some  tidings  of  Him.  And  they  all  cried  cut  with  a  loud  voice:  It  is 
He  that  made  us.  My  asking  was  my  considering  them,  and  their 
answering  was  the  beauty  I  discovered  in  them. — St.  Augustine. 

That  zuhich  is  knozun  of  God  is  manifest  in  them.  For  God  hath 
manifested  it  unto  them. — For  the  invisible  things  of  Him,  from  the 
creation  of  the  ivorld,  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things 
that  are  made:  His  Eternal  Power  also  and  Diznnity :  so  that  they 
are  inexcusable. — Rom.  I,  19,  20. 

The  pagan  philosopher  Epicurus  said  to  the  atheist,  Galcnus: 
"Observe  your  body  and  its  wonderful  structure,  and  then  tell  me 
whether  you  still  doubt  the  existence  of  a  God !  Behold,  I  will  give 
you  a  hundred  years  in  which  to  reflect  upon  it,  so  that  you  may 
examine  whether  you  can  discover  a  single  fault  in  the  entire  human 
body,  or  whether  you  could,  perhaps,  alter  any  of  the  members  of  the 
body  without  thereby  depriving  it  at  the  same  time  of  beauty,  useful- 
ness, power  and  strength.  Surely,  no  man,  only  a  God  was  capable 
of  creating  such  a  glorious  model,  such  a  wonderful  masterpiece!" 

Before  Abraham  zuas  made,  I  am. — John  VIII,  58. 

He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  He  is. — Heb.  XI,  6. 


2       ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 
The  fool  said  in  Jiis  heart:  There  is  no  God. — Ps.  LII,  i. 

Overpowering  proofs  of  intelligence  and  benevolent  design  lie 
around  us,  showing  to  us,  through  Nature,  the  influence  of  a  free 
will ;  and  teaching  us  that  all  living  beings  depend  upon  one  ever- 
acting  Creator  and  Ruler. — Lord  Kelvin  (Non-Cath.). 

The  heavens  show  forth  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
declureth  the  work  of  His  hands. — Day  to  day  nttereth  speech,  and 
night  to  night  showeth  knowledge. — Tfiere  are  no  speeches  nor  lan- 
guages where  their  voices  are  not  heard. — Ps.  XVIII,  2-4. 

In  the  beginning,  O  Lord,  Thou  foundest  the  earth:  and  the 
heavens  are  the  works  of  Thy  hands. — They  shall  perish,  but  Thou 
rcmainest:  and  all  of  them-  shall  grow  old  like  a  garment:  and  as  a 
vesture  Thou  shalt  change  them,  and  they  shall  be  changed. — But 
ThuH  art  always  the  self-same,  and  Thy  years  shall  not  fail. — Ps.  CI, 
26-28. 

By  faith  we  understand  that  the  world  was  framed  by  the  Word 
of  God.  that  from  invisible  things  visible  things  might  be  made. 

—Heb.  XI,  3. 

Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass,  but  My  ivords  shall  not  pass. 

—Matt.  XXIV,  35. 

THE   EXISTENCE   OF  GOD   OUR  CONSOLATION' 

There  was  at  one  time  in  the  United  States  Army  a  certain 
General,  known  to  be  an  atheist. 

His  wife  was  a  good  Christian,  and  tried  to  bring  up  their 
daughter,  their  only  child,  in  the  fear  of  God;  and  although  her  father 
endeavoured  to  instil  into  her  mind  his  own  wicked  principles,  the 
grace  of  God  enabled  her  to  remain  firm  in  her  faith. 

It  happened  that  she  became  very  ill,  and  lay  in  danger  of  death. 
Her  father,  who  loved  her  with  intense  affection,  watched  by  her 
bedside  continually;  but  everyone  saw  that  she  was  approaching  her 
end. 

"O  my  dearest  father,"  she  said  to  him  one  day,  ''you  see  I  am 
at  the  point  of  death,  and  I  must  soon  leave  you.  You  have  often 
told  me  that  there  is  no  God;  and  my  dear  mother  has  taught  me 
that  there  is  a  God,  who  will  make  us  eternally  happy  in  the  next 
life,  if  we  adore  and  serve  Him  here  on  earth.  Tell  me  now,  whether 
I  am  to  believe  her  or  you?" 

The  General  for  some  moments  did  not  answer.  He  did  not  wish 
to  say  to  his  dying  child  what  he  knew  in  his  heart  to  be  false,  and 
at  the  same  time  he  did  not  want  to  acknowledge  the  existence  of 
God  in  the  presence  of  his  associates  in  unbelief,  some  of  whom  were 
about.  The  contest  within  him  was  only  for  a  few  moments.  He 
looked  on  his  darling  child,  and  his  eyes  met  hers.  In  an  instant 
he  exclaimed :  "O  my  child,  do  not  heed  my  words ;  believe  onlv 
what  your  mother  has  taught  you." 

Those  in  the  room  who  heard  these  words  looked  at  him  in  amaze- 


GOD  3 

merit.    "Surely,  General,"  they  said  to  iiim,  "you  do  not  really  mean 
what  you  have  just  now  said." 

He  turned  towards  them,  and,  pointing  to  his  dying  child, 
answered:  "My  friends,  it  is  indeed  more  convenient  to  live  accorrling 
to  what  we  had  pretended  to  believe,  but  at  the  hour  of  death  it  is 
only  the  ancient  faith  in  the  existence  of  the  one  true  God  that  will 
give  us  consolation." 

WHAT  IS  GOD? 

Well  might  the  ancient  heathen  shrink  from  answering,  when  a 
king,  his  patron,  asked  him  what  God  was !  He  begged  for  a  day  to 
consider  his  reply;  at  the  end  of  it,  for  two  more;  and,  when  the  two 
were  ended,  for  four  besides ;  for  in  truth  he  found  that  meditation, 
instead  of  bringing  him  towards  the  solution  of  the  problem,  did  but 
drive  him  back ;  and  the  more  he  questioned,  the  vaster  grew  the 
theme,  and  where  he  drew  one  conclusion,  thence  issued  forth  a  hun- 
dred fresh  difficulties  to  confound  his  reason.  For  in  truth  the  being 
and  attributes  of  God  are  a  subject,  not  for  reason  simply,  but  for 
faith  also,  and  we  must  accept  His  own  word  about  Himself. 

— Cardinal  Newman. 

ETERNITY  OF  GOD 

Before  the  mountains  zvere  made,  or  the  earth  and  the  zvorld  was 
formed:  frotn  eternity,  and  to  eternity  Thou  art  God. 

—Ps.  LXXXIX,  2. 

ONE  GOD 

Our  God  is  one  Lord. — Deut.  VI,  4. 

/  am  the  first,  and  I  am  the  last,  and  besides  Me  there  is  no  God. 

—Is.  XLIV,  6. 

/  am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else:  there  is  no  God  besides  tne. 

—Is.  XLV,  5. 

One  Lord,  one  Faith,  one  Baptism. — Eph.  IV,  5. 

THE  WISDOM  OF  GOD 

The  "wisdom"  of  God  is  that  attribute  by  which  God  ordains  all 
things  to  certain  ends  and  so  arranges  that  everything  created  fulfils 
its  destiny,  according  to  His  designs.  From  that  wisdom  all  the 
laws  of  this  universe  emanate,  and  that  wisdom  forever  accomplishes 
its  purposes  unerringly.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  frustrating  God's 
designs.  He  lays  His  plans  without  consulting  any  one.  He  suffers 
those  plans  to  be  frustrated  for  a  time  by  human  intermeddling.  He 
laughs  at  the  conceit  of  men  who  dream  that  they  can  interrupt  the 
courses  of  His  Providence,  and  then  in  His  own  good  time  He  accom- 
plishes His  object,  and  sets  at  naught  the  childish  interference  of 
His  creatures.  Nay,  He  often  uses  the  wickedness  of  men  for  His 
own  wise  purposes,  and  is  baffling  that  wickedness  when  it  boasts  that 
it  is  successful.  Eve  ate  that  apple  in  Paradise,  and  brought  a  curse 
upon  her  race.  But  that  curse  brought  an  infinite  blessing  in  Christ 
Jesus.  That  lamp  is  burning  before  this  Tabernacle  because  the 
Son  of  God  is  there;  the  Son  of  God  would  not  be  there  if  Eve  had 


4       ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

not  sinned.  Full  of  fury  and  envy  and  sin  and  hatred,  His  enemies 
nailed  Christ  to  the  tree  on  that  afternoon  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago.  That  sin  built  this  magnificent  temple,  that  sin  brought  you  and 
me  here  together  to-day.  Peter,  the  poor  fisherman,  knelt  trembling 
on  the  sands  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  He  heard  a  few  words  from  His 
Master.  Hence  the  oldest  dynasty  in  the  world,  the  empire  that  is 
destined  to  witness  unshaken  and  unchanged  the  rise  and  fall  of  the 
empires  of  the  world.  For  three  hundred  years  the  Church  was 
smothered  in  the  blood  of  her  children ;  that  blood  was  the  seed  of 
Christians,  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  of  Catholics  who  profess 
to-day  the  same  creed  for  which  these  martyrs  died. 

— P.  A.  Shcehan. 

O  the  depth  of  the  riches  of  the  wisdom  and  of  the  knozvledge  of 
God!  How  incomprehensible  are  His  judgments,  and  how  unsearch- 
able His  ways! — I-or  who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord?  or  loho 
hath  been  His  coiinsellorf — Rom.  XI,  33,  34. 

The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  the  just,  and  His  ears  unto  their 
prayers.— Ps.  XXXHI,  16. 

/  know  their  thoughts  and  what  they  are  about  to  do  this  day, 
before  that  I  bring  them  into  the  land  which  I  have  promised  them. 

—Dent.  XXXI,  21. 

The  Lord  beholdeth  the  ways  of  man,  and  considcreth  all  his 
steps. — Prov.  V.  21. 

The  whole  zvorld  before  Thee  is  as  the  least  grain  of  the  balance, 
and  as  a  drop  of  the  morning  dezv,  that  fallcth  dozvn  upon  the  earth. 

—Wis.   XI,  23. 

THE  OMNIPRESENCE  OF  GOD 

According  to  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  some  pagans  adored  the  sun 
as  their  god,  that  during  the  night  they  might,  in  the  absence  of  the 
sun,  do  what  they  pleased,  without  fear  of  divine  chastisement.  The 
conduct  of  these  people  was  very  criminal ;  but  at  least  they  were 
careful  not  to  sin  in  presence  of  their  god.  But  Christians  know 
that  God  is  present  in  all  places,  and  that  He  sees  all  things.  Accord- 
ingly they  deserve  more  severe  condemnation  if  they  sin. 

Whither  shall  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from 
Thy  Face? — //  /  ascend  into  heaven,  Thou  art  there:  if  I  descend 
into  hell,  Thou  art  present. — //  /  take  my  wings  early  in  the  morning, 
and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea: — Ez'cn  there  also  shall 
Thy  hand  lead  me,  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me. — And  I 
said:  Perhaps  darkness  shall  cover  me:  and  night  shall  be  my 
light  in  my  pleasures. — But  darkness  shall  not  be  dark  to  Thee, 
and  night  shall  be  light  as  the  day:  the  darkness  thereof,  and 
the  light  thereof,  are  alike  to  Thee. — For  Thou  hast  possessed 
my  reins:    Thou  hast  protected  me  from  my  mother's  womb. 

'  —Ps.  CXXXVIII,  7-13. 


GOD  5 

Boleslaus  IV.,  Kin^  of  Poland,  had  the  p;reatest  afifection  for  his 
father.  He  got  a  portrait  of  his  father,  put  it  into  a  beautiful  setting, 
and  hung  it  around  his  neck. 

Every  time  he  wanted  to  say  or  do  anything  of  importance,  he 
would  take  this  portrait  into  his  hand,  look  at  it  for  a  moment, 
and  lovingly  kiss  it.  "O  my  father,"  he  would  say  from  time  to  time, 
"God  forbid  that  I  should  ever  say  anything  or  do  anything  that 
would  not  please  you,  if  you  were  beside  me." 

God  is  always  beside  us,  and  if  we,  like  King  Boleslaus,  always 
thought  of  that,  we  would  never  do  anything  wrong. 

A  learned  man,  who  did  not  believe  in  God,  once  met  a  simple 
countryman  going  to  church  to  hear  Mass.  He  said  to  him:  "My 
good  man,  where  are  you  going?"  "To  church,  sir,"  he  answered. 
"And  what  do  you  do  in  church?"  "I  worship  God,"  replied  the 
countryman.  "Tell  me,"  said  the  other,  in  a  tone  of  mockery, 
"whether  your  God  is  a  great  or  a  little  God."  "He  is  both,  sir," 
said  the  man  reverently.  "How  can  that  be?"  "He  is  so  great," 
answered  the  countryman,  "that  the  Heaven  of  heavens  cannot  con- 
tain Him,  and  He  is  so  little  that  He  can  live  in  my  heart." 

WHO  ART  IN  HEAVEN 

To  all  who  have  a  correct  idea  of  God,  it  is  clear,  that  He  is  every- 
where present.  This,  however,  is  not  to  be  understood  as  though 
He  were  spread  out  into  parts,  filling  and  governing  one  place  with 
one  part,  another  place  with  another;  for  God  is  a  spirit,  and  there- 
fore indivisible.  And  who  would  presume  to  circumscribe  within 
the  limits  of  any  place,  or  confine  to  any  particular  spot,  God,  who 
says  of  Himself:  "Do  I  not  fill  heaven  and  earth?"  (Jer.  xxiii,  24). 
This  again  is  to  be  understood  to  mean,  that  by  His  power  and  virtue 
God  embraces  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  things  that  are  contained 
in  heaven  and  earth;  not  that  He  Himself  is  contained  in  any  place; 
for  God  is  present  with  all  things,  either  creating  them,  or  preserving 
them  when  created,  whilst  He  Himself  is  confined  to  no  region,  is 
circumscribed  by  no  limits,  nor  so  defined  as  to  prevent  His  being 
present  everywhere  with  His  nature  and  power ;  as  the  blessed  David 
expresses  in  these  words:  "If  I  ascend  into  heaven,  thou  art  there" 
(Ps.  cxxxviii,  8;  Amos,  ix,  2).  But  although  present  in  all  places 
and  things,  and  as  we  have  said,  circumscribed  by  no  limits,  yet  God 
is  frequently  said  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  to  have  His  dwelling  in 
Heaven,  because  the  heavens  which  we  behold  are  the  noblest  part  of 
the  world;  undecaying;  excelling  all  other  objects  in  power,  magni- 
tude, and  beauty,  and  moving  in  uniform  and  steady  revolutions.  To 
elevate,  therefore,  the  soul  of  man  to  the  contemplation  of  His  infinite 
power  and  majesty,  which  shine  forth  pre-eminently  in  the  work  of 
the  heavens,  God  declares  in  the  divine  writings,  that  He  dwells  in 
the  heavens.  He  also  frequently  declares,  which  is  the  fact,  that 
there  is  no  part  of  the  universe  that  is  not  embraced  by  the  Divine 
nature  and  power  there  present. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

GOD'S   OMNIPOTENCE 

Of  Him,  and  by  Him,  and  in  Him  are  all  things. — Rom.  XI,  36. 


0        ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

At  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century,  England  was  governed 
by  a  pious  king  whose  name  was  Canute.  Some  of  his  courtiers,  who 
wanted  to  flatter  him  in  order"  to  obtain  his  favour,  one  day  said  to 
him:  "O  King,  thou  art  indeed  the  greatest  of  all  kings;  thou  art 
master  of  the  seas,  which  obey  thy  voice  and  are  submissive  to  thy 
will."  Canute  said  nothing  in  answer  to  these  words,  but  gave  orders 
that  his  throne  should  be  placed  upon  the  beach  as  the  tide  was 
coming  in.  When  this  was  done,  he  went  thither  with  his  courtiers 
and  sat  down.  When  the  waves  were  coming  near  to  the  place 
where  he  sat,  he  with  a  loud  voice  cried  out  to  them:  "O  waves,  I 
command  you  to  retire,  and  not  dare  to  approach  your  royal  master." 
But  the  water  came  up,  heedless  of  his  words,  and,  rushing  onwards, 
wet  his  feet,  and  those  of  the  courtiers  with  him.  Then,  turning 
towards  them,  he  said:  "O  foolish  men,  behold  how  little  is  the  power 
of  a  king.  Learn  from  what  you  see  that  God  alone  has  power 
to  command  the  sea,  and  to  say  to  it,  '  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go  and 
no  farther.'  " 

THE  MEBCY  OF  GOD 

The  mercy  of  our  God  towards  us,  His  sinful  creatures,  is  a 
mercy  the  very  angels  never  knew.  One  would  almost  think  we  were 
necessary  to  His  happiness,  so  anxiously  does  He  labour  for  our 
welfare.  Not  even  our  blackest  ingratitude,  nor  our  most  heinous 
crimes,  nor  our  most  inveterate  perversity  turn  Him  away  from  us 
nor  can  induce  Him  to  abandon  us  and  deal  with  us  as  we  deserve. 
Strange,  is  it  not?  Yet  how  consoling,  how  encouraging!  He  seems 
to  pity  us  more  than  He  blames;  even  as  we  pity  a  wayward  lad  or 
lass  who  knows  no  better  than  to  forsake  a  cozy  home,  fond  parents, 
peace  and  happiness,  in  pursuit  of  a  bubble  of  independence,  a  will- 
o'-wisp  of  pleasure  whose  false  colours  and  lying  promises  fascinate 
and  deceive ;  who  runs  in  the  path  of  misery,  despair  and  eventual 
perdition  with  no  eye  nor  ear  for  the  breakers  ahead  or  for  the 
appealing  voice  of  mercy  behind  that  pleads  to  return — poor,  foolish 
thing !  No  thought  of  vengeance  or  punishment.  The  rainbow  is 
in  the  heavens.  It  reminds  Him  of  His  oath  never  again  to  allow 
the  upper  hand  to  justice  against  sinful  man  on  earth.  Mercy  is 
ever  His  chosen  weapon. 

Can  we  now  deny  that  God  is  all  mercy?  In  mercy  He  created 
us,  in  mercy  redeemed  us,  in  mercy  preserves  us,  in  mercy  bears 
with  our  repeated  transgressions,  in  mercy  spares  us,  in  mercy 
pursues  us  through  the  endless  labyrinth  of  our  sinning.  In  mercy  He 
forgives  us  and  brings  us  back  to  Himself  when  once  the  knee  bends 
in  contrition  and  the  heart  is  softened  with  sorrow.  We  are  to 
Him,  each  of  us,  however  numerous  our  sins,  however  desperate 
our  condition,  a  lost  sheep,  a  lost  goat,  a  prodigal  son.  While 
there  is  hope,  He  waits.     There  is  hope  while  there  is  life. 

— John  H.  Staplcton. 

The  Lord  is  patient  and  full  of  mercy. — Num.  XIV,  i8. 

As  a  father  hath  compassion  on  his  children,  so  hath  the  Lord 
compassion   on  them  that  fear  Him. — For  He  knoivclh   our  frame. 


GOD  1 

He  rememboclh  that  we  are  dust. — Man's  days  are  as  grass:  as  the 
flower  of  the  field  so  shall  he  flourish. — Ps.  CII,  13-15. 

According  to  His  greatness,  so  also  is  His  mercy  with  Him. 

— Eccl.  II,  23. 

/  hare  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love ;  therefore  Itavc  I  drawn 
thee,  taking  pity  on  thee. — Jer.  XXXI,  3. 

He  made  the  little  and  the  great,  and  He  hath  equally  care  of  all. 

—Wis.  VI,  8. 

THE  JITSTICE  AND  THE  MERCY  OF  GOD 

It  is  a  mystery  to  us  how  justice  and  mercy  can  co-exist,  and  both 
be  infinite,  and  both  be  exercised  at  the  same  moment  towards  the 
same  person.  We  know  in  our  experience  of  strict  justice  over- 
riding mercy,  and  of  mercy  setting  aside  the  claims  of  justice.  But 
we  cannot  imagine  what  it  is  to  be  most  rigidly  just  and  most  ten- 
derly merciful  in  the  same  case.  Absolutely  free  forgiveness  and 
the  exaction  of  ample  atonement  are  with  us  contradictory  things. 
If  a  judge  were  always  tender  and  lenient  to  the  offending  party, 
this  would  be,  not  so  much  a  sign  of  exceeding  God-like  mercy,  as 
of  weak  character  or  of  sympathy  with  crime.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  he  always  enforced  the  most  rigid  justice,  he  would  prove  himself 
to  be  hard-hearted  and  devoid  of  the  sense  of  mercy.  If  such  a 
man,  were  really  tender-hearted,  and  at  the  same  time  a  lover  of 
justice,  he  would  often  find  that  these  two  sentiments  were  in  contra- 
diction, and  that  one  would  have  to  yield.  Hence,  some  persons 
picture  to  themselves  two  different,  contradictory,  qualities  in  God. 
They  imagine  Him  changing  from  anger  to  love,  from  mercy  to 
justice;  at  one  time  His  mercy  predominating  over  His  justice, 
and  again  His  anger  at  sin  extinguishing  all  mercy;  each  at  times 
neutralizing  the  other. 

But  it  is  not  so  with  God.  God  is  one,  single,  simple.  There  is 
no  multiplicity  of  differing  qualities  in  Him,  no  opposition  of  attribute 
to  distribute,  no  limitation  of  one  by  another,  no  change  of  moods 
at  different  times.  God  always  sees  in  sin  the  most  horrible  of 
evils,  the  antithesis  of  all  goodness;  an  outrage  on  His  Majesty;  an 
enemy  that  would  destroy  His  being,  if  that  were  possible;  and  He 
hates  it  with  a  necessary  and  unchangeable  detestation.  His  mercy 
does  not  cause  Him  to  make  little  of  sin.  to  gloss  it  over,  to  close 
His  eyes  to  its  enormity.  Still,  God  loves  the  sinner  with  an  infinite 
love,  compassionates  his  weakness,  and  calls  him  to  repentance ;  for 
the  sinner  is  God's  own  creation,  made  in  His  image,  and  purchased 
at  the  price  of  His  Son's  most  Precious  Blood  and  death.  There 
is  no  opposition  in  God  between  justice  and  mercy.  His  love  and 
anger  are  the  same ;  they  are  His  indivisible,  unchangeable  essence. 
His  love  of  good  is  identical  with  His  hatred  of  evil.  He  is  not 
more  tolerant  towards  sin  on  account  of  His  merciful  goodness;  and 
even  when  He  punishes  most  rigidly  He  is  still  merciful.  This 
co-existence  of  justice  and  mercy  in  punishment  is  the  divine  attribute 
of  clemencv :  "When  thou  art  angry,  thou  wilt  remember  mercy" 
(Hab.  iii,  2). — Bishop  Bellord. 


8        ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

TH£  JUSTICE  OF  GOD 

God  is  not  unjust,  that  He  should  forget  your  work,  and  the  lo'oe 
you  have  shozcn  in  His  Name,  you  who  have  ministered  and  do 
minister  to  the  Saints. — Heb.  VI,  lo. 

The  Lord  will  rezvard  every  one  according  to  His  justice  and  His 
faithfulness.— 1.  Kings,  XXVI,  23. 

/  am  the  Lord  Who  search  the  heart  and  prove  the  reins:  Who 
give  to  every  one  according  to  his  way,  and  according  to  the  fruit 
of  his  devices. — Jer.  XVII,  10. 

Who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works: — To  them 
indeed  who,  according  to  patience  in  good  zvork,  seek  glory  and 
honour  and  incorruption,  Eternal  Life; — But  to  them  that  are  con- 
tentious and  who  obey  not  the  truth,  but  give  credit  to  iniquity,  wrath 
and  indignation. — Rom.  II,  6-8. 

THE  FORBEAR.INCE  OF  GOD 

Because  sentence  is  not  speedily  pronounced  against  the  evil,  the 
children  of  men  commit  evils  without  any  fear. — Eccl.  VIII,  11. 

THE  PROVIDENCE   OF   GOD 

In  all  this  wonderful  providence  God  preserves  His  unchangeable- 
ness.  He  does  not  have  to  keep  stepping  in  to  put  things  right.  If 
a  stone  rolls  down  the  mountain  side  it  fulfils  eternal  laws.  If  the 
lion  goes  abroad  to  seek  its  prey,  it  is  because  of  the  unchanging 
law  of  brute  instinct.  If  man  is  allowed  freedom  in  his  actions,  it  is 
only  because  God  wills  those  actions  to  be  the  result  of  man's  free- 
dom. And  if  at  any  time  something  seems  to  happen  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  nature,  a  miracle,  it  is  not  that  the  laws  have  been  suspended, 
but  that  for  some  Divine  purpose,  these  events  have  been  foreseen 
and  arranged,  and  so  are  the  fulfilment  rather  than  the  alteration 
of  the  Divine  Will.  God  reaches  "from  end  to  end  mightily,  and  or- 
dereth  all  things  sweetly."  Thus  all  things  that  happen,  if  they  be 
not  influenced  by  the  free  will  of  man,  happen  of  necessity.  Many 
things  seem  to  happen  by  chance.  The  lightning  strikes  an  oak-tree 
and  misses  the  man  standing  by.  He  thinks  he  is  very  lucky.  But 
in  reality  there  is  no  chance  whatever  in  the  incident.  It  is  all  due 
to  the  working  out  of  fixed  laws.  Things  seem  to  happen  by  chance 
simply  because  we  can  not  see  all  the  circumstances.  Huxley  spoke 
a  great  truth  when  he  said  that  chance  was  but  an  alias  for  ignorance. 

But  when  we  are  face  to  face  with  suffering  in  reality,  then  it  is 
that  we  need  our  faith  in  God's  Providence.  Aware  of  our  own 
sinfulness  we  might  bravely  bear  our  own  suft'crings.  But  the 
difficulty  presses  heavily  upon  us  when  we  see  those  suffer  whom  we 
love  and  know  to  be  innocent. 

The  newspapers  told  us  of  a  sad  case  recently.  A  young  couple, 
father  and  mother,  were  putting  their  children  to  bed,  their  only  two. 
The  mother  was  bathing  the  baby  while  the  father  played  with  the 
elder  boy.  The  boy,  in  his  delight,  jumped  from  his  father's  arms,  fell 
downstairs  and  was   killed.     The  mother   rushed  downstairs   to  her 


GOD  9 

son,  and,  in  her  distress,  forgot  the  child  upstairs.  Then  when  she 
did  return  it  was  only  to  find  her  baby  drowned.  What  shall  we 
say  in  the  presence  of  such  a  calamity?  What  could  the  mother  say? 
What  could  the  father  say  ?  We  can  not  see  the  good  of  such  effects 
of  God's  Providence.  But  by  a  strong-  act  of  faith  we  can  believe 
that  God  is  good,  and  He  loves  all  things  that  are,  and  hates  none  of 
the  things  that  He  has  made.  We  may  try  to  fathom  the  mystery, 
but  our  safer  plan  will  be  to  bow  down  and  adore. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

Give  not  thy  mouth  to  cause  thy  H'csh  to  sin;  and  say  not  before 
the  Angel:  There  is  no  providence:  lest  God  be  angry  at  thy  words, 
and  destroy  all  the  zvorks  of  thy  hands. — Eccl.  V,  5. 

Every  best  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  coming 
down  from  the  father  of  lights,  zvith  Whom  there  is  no  change,  nor 
shadozv  of  alteration. — Jas.  I,  17. 

Who  covercth  the  heaz'en  with  clouds,  and  prcparefh  rain  for  the 
earth:  Who  makclh  grass  to  grow  on  the  mountains,  and  herbs  for  the 
service  of  men. — Who  giveth  to  beasts  their  food:  and  to  the  young 
ravens  that  call  upon  Him. — Ps.  CXLVI,  8,  9. 

A  priest  had  just  concluded  a  sermon  on  Divine  Providence,  when 
a  man  came  to  him  and  said,  "I  have  heard  your  sermon,  but  I  am  a 
proof  of  the  contrary  of  what  you  said.  For  me  there  is  no  Provi- 
dence!  I  have  a  wife  and  family,  and  work  hard  to  support  themi. 
I've  done  no  harm  to  any  one,  and  for  twenty  years  I  have  tried 
to  live  as  a  good  Christian ;  but  all  in  vain ;  I  feel  ready  to  drown 
myself,  for  I  have  bills  due  the  end  of  the  month,  and  am  quite 
unable  to  meet  them.  I  am  lost,  and  would  rather  die  than  live !  " 
"Well,  my  good  man,  you  yourself  shall  become  proof  of  the  Provi- 
dence of  God!  How  much  do  you  owe?"  "Nearly  2,000  dollars." 
"Then,  here  are  2,500:  this  sum  was  given  me  some  days  ago  to 
dispose  of  for  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate.  Go,  pay  your  bills,  and 
remember  there  is  a  Providence  !  " 

Be  not  solicitous,  therefore,  saying:  What  shall  we  eat,  or  zvhat 
shall  zve  drink,  or  zvherezvith  shall  zve  be  clothed f — For  after  all  these 
things  do  the  heathens  seek.  For  your  Father  knoweth  that  you  have 
need  of  all  these  things. — Matt.  VI,  31-32. 

Remove  the  pendulum  from  the  works  of  a  clock  only  for  a  ' 
moment  and  they  stop  immediately.  Turn  oiT  the  water-course  from 
a  mill,  or  stop  its  supplv,  and  at  once  the  motion  of  the  wheel  will 
cease,  the  whole  mill  will  be  at  a  standstill.  Launch  a  well  equipped 
boat  with  sails,  oars,  etc.,  upon  the  high  seas,  but  place  no  man  at 
the  helm  to  conduct  its  course,  and  it  will  be  tossed  hither  and 
thither,  become  the  sport  of  the  winds  and  waves,  finally  be  wrecked 
and  go  to  pieces.  Not  even  a  little  log  hut  can  'ast  long  without  the 
care  of  a  master's  hand;  first  the  roof,  then  the  flooring,  at  another 
time  the  walls,  are  damaged  by  the  weather,  by  rain,  cold,  etc.,  and 


10      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

they  have  to  be  repaired  or  rebuilt.  How  is  it  possible,  then,  that 
this  vast  universe — heaven  and  earth,  with  everything  that  they 
contain — could  have  lasted  so  many  thousands  of  years  if  the  hand 
of  God  had  not  preserved  it  ? — P.  Heliel,  S.  J. 

Behold  the  birds  of  the  air,  for  they  neither  sow,  nor  do  they  reap, 
nor  gather  into  barns:  and  your  Heavenly  Father  feedcth  them.  Are 
not  you  of  much  more  value  than  they!' — Matt.  VI,  26. 

Consider  the  Hies  of  the  field,  hotv  they  grow:  they  labour  not, 
neither  do  they  spin. — And  if  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  is  to-day, 
and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  God  doth  so  clothe:  how  much 
more  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith! — Matt.  VI,  28,  30. 

If  we  do  not  wish  to  act  against  the  decrees  of  Providence  we 
must  (i),  avoid  all  solicitude  which  extends  itself  over  temporal 
affairs  to  such  an  extent  as  to  interfere  with  our  happiness;  (2),  and 
all  solicitude  which  causes  us  to  work  beyond  our  strength  and  pre- 
vents us  from  taking  needed  rest  and  recreation;  (3),  all  solicitude 
which  makes  us  timid  and  faint-hearted,  believing  that  the  future 
holds  nothing  but  adversity  and  misery  for  us. — St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

How  very  small  then  must  be  our  partial  insight  into  God's  plans ! 
A  fly  lights  upon  a  great  picture,  say  the  Sistine  Madonna  of  Raphael. 
It  sees  only  a  little  black  patch  on  the  hem  of  Our  Lady's  robe.  It 
recognizes  nothing  of  the  superb  composition  of  form  and  colour  of 
which  the  black  patch  is  a  portion.  So  it  comes  about  that  if  we  look 
only  to  the  particular  end  of  things  and  neglect  their  final  end,  we 
get  a  distorted  view  of  God's  Providence.  Relying  merely  on  our 
own  infinitesimal  outlook  we  are  bound  to  experience  the  difficulty  of 
God's  seeming  improvidence,  seeming  forgetfulness,  seeming  weak- 
ness, seeming  unkindness. 

The  dark  night  comes  to  every  soul  sooner  or  later  and  causes  it 
to  lament  as  Sion  lamented  of  old:  "The  Lord  hath  forsaken  me,  the 
Lord  hath  forgotten  me."  But  God  replies  as  He  did  to  Sion:  "Can 
a  woman  forget  her  infant,  so  as  not  to  have  pity  on  the  son  of  her 
womb?    And  if  she  should  forget,  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee." 

— Thomas  F.  Gerrard. 

The  eyes  of  the  Lord  behold  all  the  earth. — II.  Par.  XVI.  9. 

While  the  persecution  of  Decius  was  at  its  height,  St.  Felix  of 
.  Nola  was  one  of  those  whom  the  persecutors  of  the  Church  were  most 
anxious  to  arrest ;  but  God.  who  desired  to  make  use  of  His  servant, 
hid  him  from  his  enemies  who  pursued  him. 

One  day,  while  he  was  instructing  and  exhorting  the  faithful, 
those  who  were  sent  to  look  for  him  came  near,  and  Felix  fled  and 
concealed  himself  in  an  opening  of  a  wall.  As  there  was  no  door  to 
conceal  him,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  captured  had  not  God 
caused  a  spider  to  weave  its  web  over  the  opening. 

The  soldiers  arriving  at  the  place,  and  finding  it  covered  with 
a  web,  thick  and  unbroken,  thought  that  it  would  be  folly  to  imagine 


GOD  11 

that  anyone  could  enter  without  breaking  the  web,  and  they  passed 
by,  and  hastened  to  look  for  him  elsewhere. 

TH£  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD  AND  MAN'S  FREEDOM 

Must  we  then  suppose  that  this  all-embracing  care  of  God  and 
our  full  submission  to  Him  mean  the  stagnation  of  our  mind  and 
affections  ?  Are  we  to  be  merely  as  the  brush  in  the  painter's  hand 
or  as  the  clay  in  the  potter's?  That  would  be  the  degeneration  of 
this  most  sublime  and  most  consoling  doctrine  into  a  debasing  and 
enervating  fatalism.  Must  we  suppose  that  God  has  given  us  a 
law  of  salvation  and  has  not  left  us  free  to  obey  it?  That  He  has 
commanded  us  to  believe  in  Him  and  to  love  Him  with  all  our 
strength  and  yet  has  not  given  us  the  strength  of  will  and  the 
freedom  of  heart  to  offer  our  faith  and  love?  Far  from  it,  for 
Divine  Providence  supposes  human  effort.  The  ravens  sow  not;  the 
lilies  of  the  field  spin  not;  but  man  must  labour  and  strive;  he  must 
seek,  and  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  then  shall  other  things  be 
given  unto  him.  Man  is  intelligent.  Man  is  free.  His  life  upon 
earth  is  a  life  of  progress.  Starting  from  the  border  of  nothingness, 
a  creature  of  capacities  and  capabilities,  he  is  to  be  filled  in  time  with 
material  and  mental  good,  with  moral  and  social  good,  with  human 
and  heavenly  good. — Thomas  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

PREDESTINATION 

According  to  St.  Augustine,  predestination  is  the  preparation  of 
grace ;  it  is  nothing  more  than  God's  Prescience  and  the  preparation 
of  God's  benefits,  by  which  are  certainly  saved  all  those  whom  He 
saves.  St.  Thomas  says  that  predestination  is  the  manner  by  which 
God  guides  reasonable  creatures  to  eternal  life,  the  preparation  of 
grace  for  the  present  life.  According  to  this,  we  can  consider  pre- 
destination under  a  twofold  aspect;  as  grace  without  which  we  can 
do  nothing  as  regards  eternal  life,  and  under  the  aspect  of  glory 
which  is  granted  to  those  that  have  been  faithful  to  grace. 

Although  God  gives  to  all  men  the  graces  necessary  for  salvation 
it  is  likewise  a  Catholic  dogma  that  He  does  not  give  to  all  the  same 
measure  of  grace;  that  there  are  particular  graces,  graces  of  choice, 
which  He  grants  rather  to  one  than  to  another,  and  that  He  reserves, 
from  all  eternity,  eternal  life  to  those  who  shall  have  persevered 
until  the  end.  In  other  words,  we  must  admit,  on  the  part  of  God, 
the  predestination  of  a  certain  number  of  men  to  eternal  life.  "This 
belief,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "has  always  been  that  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ."  Such  is,  besides,  the  teaching  of  Holy  Scripture.  At 
the  last  Judgment  our  Lord  will  say,  addressing  the  elect:  "Come  ye 
Blessed  of  my  Father,  possess  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world"  (Matt.  XXV,  34).  Those  who  are 
predestined  to  glory  will  infallibly  be  saved:  the  decree  of  predesti- 
nation is  as  infallible  as  divine  Prescience.  Thus  the  number  of  the 
predestined  is  fixed  and  unchangeable;  it  will  be  neither  increased  or 
diminished,  because  God's  Prescience  cannot  be  deceived.  Neverthe- 
less those  who  work  out  their  salvation  do  so  freely;  they  always 
preserve  their  free  will,  and  can  resist  grace  if  they  so  wish. 

It  is  of  faith  that  predestination  is  gratuitous.    Eternal  life  is  a 


12      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

grace  of  God,  the  grace  of  graces,  which  supposes  all  other  graces. 
Nevertheless,  predestination  considered  under  the  aspect  of  glory,  also 
supposes  the  merits  of  the  just.  Eternal  life  is  at  once  a  grace  of 
God,  and  the  reward  for  good  works  done  in  the  state  of  grace. 
It  is  a  Catholic  dogma  that  by  the  works  of  the  justified  man,  or  by 
the  good  works  which  he  performs  with  God's  grace  and  the  merits 
of  Jesus  Christ,  he  himself  really  merits  eternal  life. 

— Ecclesiastical  Dictionary. 

WHAT  PREDESTINATION  DOES  NOT  MEAN 

This  foreknowledge  of  God,  and  the  preparation  of  some  souls 
for  eternal  glory,  and  the  assent  to  the  further  loss  of  others,  is  part 
of  God's  Providence.  It  results  from  His  knowledge  of  all  future 
things,  from  His  goodness  and  His  justice.  This  Predestination 
and  Reprobation  do  not  mean  that  God  has  called  some  beings  into 
existence  for  the  special  purpose  of  separating  them  from  the  rest 
and  condemning  them  to  hell.  The  enemies  of  Christianity  have 
been  pleased  to  assert  that  this  is  a  Christian  doctrine.  But  it  is 
Christian  only  in  this  sense,  that  it  was  taught  during  a  couple  of 
centuries  by  the  members  of  a  small  and  now  almost  extinct  heresy, 
the  Calvinists,  who  called  themselves  Christians,  but  who  were  cut 
off  from  the  Christian  Church  on  account  of  this  and  other  errors. 
It  is  distinctly  a  Protestant  doctrine,  and  is  justly  condemned  by  the 
Catholic  Church  as  false  and  blasphemous. — Bishop  Bellord. 

PREDESTINATION   DEPENDENT   ON  MAN'S   OWN  WILL 

St.  Ambrose  teaches  that  even  if  a  man  knew  that  he  was  repro- 
bate from  God,  "the  Lord  will  know  how  to  recall  the  sentence,  if 
thou  knowest  how  to  amend  thy  ways  of  sin."  In  confirmation  of 
this  we  have  the  example  of  Jonas  and  Nineveh. 

In  the  depths  of  eternity  God  knew  of  each  man,  his  strength  and 
his  weakness,  his  excuses  and  his  guilt,  his  sin  and  his  repentance. 
He  could  sum  up  each  man's  life,  and  see  his  final  decision  as  to 
serving  or  resisting  God.  Knowing  thus  His  own,  God  elects  them 
to  eternal  happiness.  God  does  not  predestine  all  men  to  glory  as  He 
destines  them  for  life  and  grace;  He  can  not  do  so,  for  they  control 
their  destiny.  Although  predestination  is  entirely  from  God,  it  is 
yet  dependent  on  man's  own  will. — Bishop  Bellord. 

If  that  nation  against  which  I  have  spoken  shall  repent  of  their 
evil,  I  also  will  repent  of  the  evil  that  I  have  thought  to  do  to  them. — 
And  I  will  suddenly  speak  of  a  nation  and  of  a  kinqdom,  to  build  up 
and  plant  it. — //  it  shall  do  cznl  in  My  sight,  that  it  obey  not  My  voice, 
I  zuill  repent  of  the  good  that  I  have  spoken  to  do  unto  it. — Jer. 
XVIII,  8-10. 

To  help  you  understand  that  divine  Foreknowledge  does  not  inter- 
fere with  the  human  free  will,  just  remember  that  God  knows,  for 
instance,  what  you  will  do,  and  where  you  will  go,  after  leaving  this 
church,  nevertheless  you  are  absolutely  free  to  do  what  you  like,  and 


GOD  13 

to  go  where  you  please.     Indeed,  it   is  impossible   for  you  not  to 
exercise  your  free  will. 

THC  SOUL'S  DESIRE  FOR  GOD 

St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  could  think  only  of  God,  could  speak  only 
of  God;  nothing  gave  him  any  pleasure  but  to  hear  about  God.  If 
sometimes  he  was  in  the  company  of  those  who  were  conversing 
about  other  things,  he  seemed  to  take  no  interest  in  their  conversa- 
tion; it  was  evident  his  thoughts  were  on  something  very  different 
from  what  they  were  thinking  of.  Once  when  residing  in  Naples, 
Brother  Dominic  Caserte  heard  a  voice  proceeding  from  the  crucifix, 
saying  to  him:  "Thou  hast  written  well  of  me,  Thomas;  what  recom- 
pense dost  thou  desire?"  He  answered:  "None  other  than  Thyself, 
O  Lord." 

Thou  makest  it  delightful  to  him  to  praise  Thee;  because  Thou 
hast  made  us  for  Thyself,  and  our  hearts  are  not  at  rest  till  they 
rest  in  Thee. — St.  Augustine. 

As  the  compass  needle  is  invariably  turned  towards  the  North,  God 
has  impressed  our  souls  with  a  natural  inclination  that  makes  them 
invariably  turn  toward  Him.. — 5"^  Augustine. 

THE  WORSHIP  OF  GOD 

Can  it  be  much  to  serve  Thee  whom  the  whole  creation  is  bound 
to  serve?  It  ought  not  to  seem  much  to  me  to  serve  Thee;  but  this 
seems  rather  great  and  wonderful  to  me,  that  Thou  vouchsafest  to 
receive  one  so  wretched  and  unworthy  into  they  service,  and  to 
associate  him  to  Thy  beloved  servants. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  NAME  OF  GOD 

St.  Francis  of  Assisi  always  pronounced  the  Name  of  God  with 
profound  veneration.  If  by  chance  he  saw  lying  on  the  ground  a 
piece  of  paper  on  which  the  Name  of  God  was  written,  he  reverently 
took  it  up,  and  placed  it  carefully  in  his  cell.  He  also  counselled  all 
his  disciples  to  do  likewise. 

THE   HEART   OF  MAN,  GOD'S   TE>IPLE 

God  dwells  much  rather  in  the  temple  fashioned  by  His  own  hands 
than  in  a  temple  built  by  the  hands  of  men.  Much  sweeter  is  to 
Him  a  pious  and  devout  heart  than  incense. — St.  Thomas  of  Villanova. 


THE   BLESSED    TRINITY 

THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 

There  is  One  God;  for  what  we  mean  by  God,  is  the  Supreme 
Being,  and  there  can  be  but  One  Being  Supreme  over  all.        * 

In  this  One  Supreme  Being  there  are  Three  distinct  Persons,  that 
is  to  say,  each  Person  has  the  whole  Substance  of  God;  for  God's 
Substance,  His  Supreme  Being,  cannot  be  divided.  As  the  whole 
substance  of  the  human  soul  subsists  indivisibly  in  every  separate 


14      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

faculty  of  our  being,  so  the  whole  Substance  of  God  subsists  in  each 
Divine  Person.  Yet  are  not  the  Three  Persons  faculties  or  attributes 
of  God;  for  attributes  in  God  have  no  existence  distinct  from  His 
Substance;  and  when  we  speak  of  God's  attributes  we  merely  put 
into  words  our  imperfect  ideas  of  Him.  Properly  speaking,  God  is 
not  just,  good,  wise,  powerful;  but  is  Himself  essentially  Justice, 
Goodness,  Wisdom  and  Power. 

So  in  like  manner  God  is  essentially  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost; 
Eternal  Substance,  Knowledge,  and  Will ;  and  this  'Substance,  Knowl- 
edge and  Will  are  not,  as  in  us,  three  different  faculties  of  our  one 
person,  but  three  distinct  Personalities  of  one  and  the  same  Substance, 
that  is,  three  ways  or  modes  in  which  the  One  God  subsists. 

God  the  Father  has  been  Father  from  all  eternity.  He  never 
began  to  be  Father,  eternally  originating  the  other  two  Persons,  so 
that  neither  of  them  ever  began  to  be. 

So  God  the  Son  is  the  eternal  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost  the 
eternal  Spirit,  and  the  Three  Divine  Persons  are  thus  co-equal  and 
co-eternal. 

The  Son  is  called  "Son"  and  "begotten,"  to  express  that  He  is 
the  same  in  Substance  w^ith  His  Father ;  the  earthly  relation  of  Father 
axid  Son  are  visible  types  of  Fatherhood  and  Sonship  in  God. 

The  Son  of  God  is  "God  of  God,  of  one  Substance  with  the 
Father,  by  whom  all  things  were  made."  He  is  therefore  not  one 
of  the  things  that  were  made.  He  is  uncreated  but  eternally  begotten 
by  His  Father  of  His  own  Substance ;  not  another  God,  another 
Supreme  Being,  for  that  would  be  impossible,  but,  as  it  were,  another 
self,  a  reflection  of  the  First  Person — a  Second  Person.  The  Son, 
therefore,  having  a  perfect  knowledge  and  will  as  the  Father  has, 
but  distinct  from  the  Father  as  two  human  minds  and  wills  are  dis- 
tinct from  one  another;  from  the  mutual  knowledge  and  love  of 
Father,  and  of  Son  proceeds  a  reflection  of  the  Two  combined,  which 
never  began  to  be,  and  is  also  Personal,  a  Third  Person,  distinct 
from  Each,  the  Spirit  of  Father  and  of  Son,  Their  mutual  love 
proceeding  eternally  from  each.  Their  bond  of  union. 

Thus  there  are  Three  Divine  Persons  Each  eternally  distinct  from 
the  other.  Not  that  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost  are  merely  three 
names  of  the  one  God  considered  under  different  aspects  or  dift'ercnt 
dispensations.  This  was  the  heresy  of  the  Sabellians,  who  were  called 
Patripassionists,  because  their  heresy  made  out  but  one  Person  in 
God  under  three  names,  and  so  it  was  really  the  Father  who  suft'ered 
on  the  Cross,  only  then  He  was  called  Son,  as  He  was  called  Jesus 
Christ  in  respect  of  Plis  Incarnation.  These  Three  Divine  names 
represent  ineffable  distinctions  in  the  Godhead;  not  a  distinction  be- 
tween the  Three  Persons,  in  Essence,  Nature  or  Substance,  for  this 
would  be  a  contradiction  in  terms,  as  if  we  should  say  that  our  one 
indivisible  soul  was  divided,  but  a  distinction  of  Person  from  Person. 

—IV.  Lockhart. 

There  are  Three  Who  give  testimony  in  Hcaz'cn,  the  Father,  the 
Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  these  Three  are  One. — And  zvc  may 
be  in  His  True  Son.    This  is  the  true  God  and  Life  Elcrnal. 

— I.  John  V,  7,  20. 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY  15 

Going  therefore,  teach  ye  all  nations:  baptizing  them  in  the  Name 
of  the  tathcr,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

—Matt.  XXVIII,  19. 

Seated  on  the  sea  shore,  St.  Augustine  was  preparing-  a  homily 
for  the  people  on  the  Blessed  Trinity,  and  was  trying  if  by  any 
explanations  or  sensible  images  he  could  make  it  clearer  to  them, 
when,  looking  up,  he  saw  a  child  who  had  dug  a  hole  in  the  sand, 
into  which  he  was  ladling  the  sea  water.  On  being  asked  by  the 
Saint  what  he  was  about,  he  answered:  "Don't  you  see  I  am  going 
to  empty  the  sea  into  this  little  hole."  Ah,  thought  the  holy  Doctor, 
it  is  as  easy  for  you  to  do  that  as  for  me  to  explain  the  mystery 
of  the  Holy  Trinity ;  that  small  hole  in  the  sand  can  as  easily  contain 
all  the  water  of  the  ocean  as  the  mind  of  man  can  comprehend  the 
mystery  of  the  Nature  of  God. 

It  is  impossible  to  know  this  secret;  the  mind  fails,  the  voice  is 
silent,  and  not  my  voice  only,  but  the  voice  of  angels.  It  is  above  the 
Powers,  it  is  above  the  Cherubim  and  Seraphim,  it  passeth  all  created 
understanding. — IV.  Lockhart. 

The  Word  is  consuhstantial  with  the  Father.  It  means,  that  there 
is  but  ONE  Divine  Nature,  and  that  this  one  single  Divine  Nature  is 
equally  possessed  of  by  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost;  not  divided  or 
shared  out  among  the  Three,  but  wholly  and  entirely  possessed  by 
each  one;  so  that  the  Father  is  all  that  is  God;  the  Son  is  all  that 
is  God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  all  that  is  God.  That  Divine  Nature, 
that  Godhead,  then,  which  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord  has,  is  the  very 
same  identical  and  single  Divine  Nature  or  Godhead  as  that  of  the 
Father.  In  other  words,  there  is  one  God,  and  the  Father  is  that 
God;  the  Son  also  is  that  God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  that  God.  Three 
Persons,  but  one  God. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  MEANTVG  OF  "PERSON" 

A  very  common  error  entertained  by  many  Protestants  and  by 
most  rationalists  about  the  Catholic  idea  of  God,  is  their  assertion  that 
we  worship  a  personal  God,  meaning  thereby,  a  corporeal  being  like 
ourselves,  a  sublimated  man,  as  it  were ;  and  they  conclude  that  our 
religion  can  not  possibly  be  spiritual,  since  it  has  such  a  foundation. 
This  error  is  due  to  their  ignorance  of  the  meaning  attached  to  the 
word  "person."  By  a  person  we  mean  a  being  who  is  responsible  for 
his  acts ;  one  to  whom  an  act  may  be  imputed  as  to  a  responsible 
agent.  The  lower  animals,  for  instance,  are  not  held  morally  respons- 
ible for  their  actions,  since  they  lack  the  source  of  responsibility — 
reason,  and  so  are  not  spoken  of  as  persons.  Now  a  person,  or 
responsible  being,  is  not  necessarily  material  or  corporeal,  and  when 
we  speak  of  a  personal  God  we  mean  a  pure  spirit  to  whomi  the 
various  acts  of  Deity,  such  as  creation,  redemption,  and  sanctification, 
may  be  imputed  as  to  a  responsible  being.  Our  God  is,  indeed,  a 
Person,  but  none  the  less  is  He  a  pure  spirit,  and,  in  the  words  of 
the  Apostle,  "Those  who  adore  Him  should  adore  Him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth." — F.  Harvey. 


16      ILLUSTRATIONS  LOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

••NATIKE"  AM>  "PERSON" 

Let  us  see  if  we  can  grasp  a  little  of  the  meaning  of  these  words. 
As  I  look  about  nie  in  this  cnurch  to-day,  1  sec  a  number  of  human 
beings.  All  of  you  have  something  in  common,  something  that  is 
a  distinguishing  mark,  that  separates  you  from  all  other  creatures, 
from  the  angels  in  heaven  and  from  other  species  cr  kinds  of  beings 
upon  earth ;  a  something  that  makes  you  to  be  what  you  are,  namely, 
human  beings.     This  something  we  call  human  nature. 

I  can  see  further  that  this  human  nature  is  complete  in  each  indi- 
vidual. Thus  you  do  not  attribute  your  actions  to  another,  or  to  the 
race  in  general,  but  you  attribute  them  to  yourself.  You  say  of  these 
acts,  whether  you  performed  them  to-day  or  ten  or  twenty  or  more 
years  ago,  "I  did  them."  You  feel  and  realize  that  they  belong  to 
you  individually.  Now  this  condition  in  which  a  being  is  responsible 
for  his  acts,  whether  they  be  moral,  or  physical  or  intellectual,  is 
called  personality.  In  the  human  being,  nature  and  personality  are 
one. — Thomas  /■.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

ADORING  THE  BLESSED  TREVITY 

If  we  can  not  comprehend  the  deep  mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
we  may  at  least  offer  it  our  homage  and  adoration.  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  tells  us,  "It  is  impossible  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
Trinity  by  natural  reason,"  but  we  may  say  in  the  love  of  our  hearts 
with  the  Church.  "Our  hope,  our  salvation,  our  honour,  O  Blessed 
Trinity"  (Ant.  II.  Noct.  off.  Trinit.J.  What  prevents  us  from  loving, 
honouring,  and  adoring  one  God  in  three  Divine  Persons?  Because 
we  can  not  drink  all  the  water  of  the  well,  may  we  not  partake 
of  as  much  as  is  needful  for  us? 

IMAGES  OF  THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 

When  St.  Patrick  was  teaching  the  Irish  people  the  truths  of  our 
holy  P'aith,  he  saw  that  they  were  unwilling  to  believe  the  mystery 
of  the  Holy  Trinity,  because  they  could  not  understand  how  there 
could  be  three  Persons  in  one  God,  that  each  Person  is  God,  and  that 
there  are  not  three  Gods,  but  only  one  God.  Bowing  down,  he 
plucked  a  leaf  of  shamrock  which  grew  at  his  feet,  and  holding  it 
that  they  might  all  be  able  to  see  it,  said:  "Behold  this  little  plant 
which  bears  on  one  stalk  three  small  leaves;  they  are  distinct  from 
each  other,  but  are  exactly  alike,  and  form  but  one  leaf,  and  rest 
on  one  stalk.  So  it  is,  my  brethren,  with  the  great  God  I  preach  to 
you.  He  is  one  in  Nature,  and  three  in  Person."  The  people  im- 
mediately believed,  and  on  that  day  many  thousands  embraced  the 
Faith. 

Matter  exists,  but  not  always  in  the  same  state.  It  may  exist  in 
the  solid  state,  or  in  the  liquid  state,  or  in  the  state  of  gas  or  vapor. 
How  many  states  are  there?  Three.  Yet  these  three  include  all. 
A  fourth  state  can  not  be  so  much  as  imagined. 

Every  creature  in  cither  wholly  spiritual,  as  are  the  angels  and 
archangels ;  or  else  wholly  material,  as  the  metals,  the  rocks,  the  seas 
and   the  mountains,   or  else  partly  spiritual  and  partly  material,  a.s 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY  17 

man,   who   unites   the   two   in   a   single   pcrscnaHty,   his   scul   bcinjf 
spiritual,  and  his  body  material. 

Every  conceivable  line  must  have  a  beginning,  or  a  point  at  which 
it  starts;  an  end,  cr  the  point  at  which  it  terminates,  and  the  distance 
bctii'ccn.  Try  and  imagine  any  single  straight  line  that  is  not  made 
up  of  these  three  parts.     Impossible  !     You  can  not. 

Material  substances  are  composed,  so  far  as  their  external  form 
and  shape  are  concerned,  of  lines,  of  surfaces  and  of  solids. 

There  is  icgetable  life,  enjoyed  by  all  kinds  of  trees,  shrubs  and 
plants;  then  there  is  sensitive  cr  purely  animal  life,  possessed  by  all 
kinds  of  birds,  beasts,  fish,  reptiles,  etc.,  and  lastly,  there  is  rational 
life,  special  prerogative  for  men  of  all  races  and  languages  and 
colours.  The  one  idea  "life"  is  present  in  all;  yet  it  exhibits  itself 
in  three  several  ways.  No  one  can  discover  a  fourth  kind  of  organic 
life.     There  are  just  three:  no  more  and  no  less. 

Now  let  us  consider  an  individual  human  soul,  over  whose  desti- 
nies this  same  mysterious  trinity  holds  sway.  The  soul  enters  the 
earth  possessing  only  its  natural  life:  then  the  waters  of  Holy  Bap- 
tism flow  over  it,  and,  at  once,  it  is  lifted  up  above  nature  and  begins 
to  live  the  life  of  supernatural  grace ;  which  is  totally  different  from 
the  life  of  mere  nature.  If  it  perseveres  it  dies  at  last  to  the  world, 
but  only  to  enter  upon  a  new  and  still  sublimer  life,  viz.,  the  life  of 
eternal  glory  in  heaven.    Now  observe :  it  is  cnc  and  the  same  soul. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

In  the  sun  we  find  very  distinctly  three  things :  the  natural  light 
which  makes  up  its  nature;  the  rays  of  light  with  which  it  illumines 
heaven  and  earth ;  the  heat  whereby  it  produces  wonderful  operations 
upon  earth.  So  there  are  three  in  the  Godhead :  the  Father,  who 
is  the  sun  in  its  nature;  the  Son,  who  is  the  rays  of  light  of  the 
world  and  proceeds  from  the  Father ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  is 
that  fire  of  love  and  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.  In  the 
same  w-ay  that  the  sun  does  not  proceed  from  any  other  sun,  so  does 
the  Father  proceed  from  none  other;  and  as  the  rays  of  light  are 
from  the  sun,  so  also  is  the  Son  from  the  Father;  and  as  heat  pro- 
ceeds from  the  sun  and  from  the  rays  of  light,  so  does  the  Holy 
Ghost  proceed  from  the  Father  and  from  the  Son.  But  as  the  light, 
the  rays  and  the  heat  together  are  only  one  sun,  so  also  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  only  one  God. 

— St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria. 


JESUS  CHRIST 

THE  REDEEMER 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  zuas  with  God,  and 
the  Word  was  God. — The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. — All 
things  iverc  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was  made  nothing  that 
was  made. — John  I,  1-3. 

It  is  impossible,  for  man's  finite  mind  to  grasp  any  positive  idea 
of  God  by  the  light  of  reason  alone.    Man  of  himself,  even  aided  by 


18      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

grace,  cannot  know  God,  or  love  God,  or  worship  God  as  He  deserves. 
For  to  know  God  as  He  is,  we  must  be  made  sharers  in  an  infinite 
knowledge ;  to  love  God  as  He  deserves,  we  must  share  in  a  power 
of  loving  which  is  infinite;  to  worship  God  according  to  what  He 
deserves  from  His  creatures,  that  worship  must  be  infinite.  Only 
God  can  know  God  and  love  God,  and  worship  God  as  He  deserves. 
Nor  can  we  worship  rightly  without  proportionate  knowledge.  But 
worship  is  the  homage  of  a  creature;  yet  to  be  worthy  of  God  it 
must  be  the  worship  of  a  God.  If  then  God  willed  to  be  worshipped 
"in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  that  is,  by  the  worship  of  intelligences  and 
in  a  way  proportionate  to  His  dignity,  a  mode  must  be  found  by 
which  God  should  become  a  creature,  in  order  that  there  might  be  a 
creature  who  was  God. 

Since  the  Incarnation  has  taken  place,  we  know  that  the  purpose 
of  the  Incarnation  was  in  the  mind  of  God  from  all  eternity,  and 
that  we,  too,  were  included  in  the  eternal  thought  of  God,  and  were 
begotten  (not  in  reality  but  in  purpose),  and  "predestinated  together 
with  Christ  before  all  ages,"  "Who  is  thus  the  First-born  of  many 
brethren." 

But  while  this  mighty  Being  tarried  for  the  fulness  of  time, 
which  God's  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  had  determined  on  for  all 
eternity,  man  was  created  and  was  lost.  Yet  the  remedy  was  pre- 
pared, and  now  for  the  first  time  the  mystery  which  had  been  hidden 
from  the  angels,  was  revealed  to  man,  in  the  instant  when  he  knew 
that  he  had  lost  everything  by  sin ;  and  so  the  Incarnate  God  Who 
was  to  come,  was  revealed  as  the  Redeemer  of  our  lost  race,  "the 
Lamb  of  God,  foreknown  indeed  before  the  foundations  of  the  world, 
but  manifested  in  the  last  times  for  us."  At  length  in  the  fulness  of 
time,  after  centuries  of  type,  figure,  and  prophecy,  there  appeared 
on  earth,  in  the  land  of  Judaea,  near  upon  twenty  centuries  ago,  this 
most  wonderful  of  beings,  the  most  wonderful  Man  of  all  human 
history:  Jesus  Christ. — W.  Lockhart. 

HI8  DIVINITY 

But  first  let  me  say  that,  in  order  to  make  an  act  of  faith  in  the 
Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  there  must  be  a  double  action  of  God.  The 
external  evidence,  through  the  bodily  senses,  of  the  miraculous  facts, 
from  which  we  infer  that  none  but  God  could  be  the  Operator,  and 
the  internal  revelation,  the  direct  action  of  God  the  Revealer,  which 
draws  aside  the  veil  from  the  mind  and  heart  of  man,  which  shows 
man  to  himself,  and  enlightens  his  mind  to  see  God  by  the  intuition 
of  faith..  "Flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  this  unto  thee,  but 
My  Father  who  is  in  heaven." — W.  Lockhart. 

Jesus  being  baptised,  forthwith  came  out  of  the  water:  and  to,  the 
heavens  were  opened  to  Him,  and  He  sazv  the  Spirit  of  God  descend- 
ing as  a  dove,  and  coming  upon  Him.  And  behold  a  Voice  from 
Heaven,  savina :  This  is  il/v  Beloved  Son,  in  Whom  I  am  zvell  pleased. 

—Matt.  Ill,  i6,  17. 

Peter  said:  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 

—Matt  XVI,  16. 


JESUS  CHRIST  19 

There  is  One  God,  and  One  Mediator  of  God  and  men,  the  Man 
Christ  Jesus. — I.  Tim.  II,  5. 

ATTACKS  ON  HIS  DIVIXITY 

We  often  ask  ourselves  how  men  .  .  .  can  possibly  fail  to 
understand  how  they  destroy  Jesus  when  they  suspect  His  sincerity, 
representing  Him  as  a  visionary,  the  victim  of  the  most  monstrous 
illusions.  How  can  these  critics  not  see  that  the  more  they  exalt  the 
man  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  more  they  strengthen  the  testimony  He  gave 
of  Himself  touching  His  celestial  origin.  His  Divine  sonship? 

—Pdre  Rose,  O.  P. 

HISTORIC  PROOF  OF  HIS  LIFE 

The  real  existence  of  Jesus  Christ  is  as  certain  as  the  other  great 
facts  of  history,  about  which  no  one  ventures  to  doubt.  The  Jewish 
historian  Josephus,  who  wrote  a  short  time  after  Christ's  death,  men- 
tions Him  as  the  Founder  of  Christianity;  and  the  Emperor  Julian, 
who  endeavoured  to  destroy  the  Christian  Faith  and  restore  Paganism 
does  not  attempt  to  deny  the  same  fact;  whilst  Rousseau  sums  up 
the  evidence  in  favour  of  His  existence  in  this  remarkable  confession: 
"The  facts  of  the  life  of  Socrates,  of  which  no  one  doubts,  are  less 
attested  than  those  of  Jesus  Christ." — W.  Lockhart. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  JESUS 

Jesus  Christ  stripped  Himself  of  His  bliss,  which  was  infinite,  in 
order  to  make  us  partakers  of  it,  and  to  associate  us  as  His  com- 
panions in  it,  taking  for  Himself  our  miseries  and  burdening  Himself 
with  them  to  remove  them  from  our  shoulders. — St.  Ignatius. 

JESUS  HIDING  HIS  GLORY  UNDER  THE  VEIL  OF  A  HUMAN  BODY 

When  Moses  came  down  from  the  mountain,  after  conversing 
forty  days  and  forty  nights  with  God,  his  face  shone  with  such 
brilliancy  that  the  people  feared  to  approach  and  converse  with  him. 
He  found  it  necessary  to  hide  his  face  with  a  veil.  Blessed  Lord, 
Thou  hast  hidden  the  glory  of  Thy  divinity  under  the  veil  with  which 
Thy  Blessed  Mother  hath  clothed  Thee,  in  order  that  we  may  ap- 
proach and  gaze  upon  Thy  adorable  face  and  press  Thee  to  our 
hearts.  We  thank  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  thus  humbling  Thyself,  and 
coming  amongst  us,  and  we  beseech  Thee  to  grant  that  one  day  we 
may  behold  Thy  face  in  its  unveiled  glory  in  Heaven. 

— C.  H.  McKenna,  O.  P. 

THE  HUMAN  SOUL  OF  JESUS 

Our  Lord  and  Saviour,  though  He  was  God,  was  also  perfect 
man ;  and  hence  He  had  not  only  a  body,  but  a  soul  likewise,  such 
as  ours,  though  pure  from  all  stain  of  evil.  He  did  not  take  a  body 
without  a  soul,  God  forbid !  for  that  would  not  have  been  to  become 
man.  How  would  He  have  sanctified  our  nature  by  taking  a  nature 
which  was  not  ours?  Man  without  a  soul  is  on  a  level  with  the 
beasts  of  the  field;  but  our  Lord  came  to  save  a  race  capable  of 
praising  and  obeying  Him,  possessed  of  immortality,  though  that 
immortality  had  lost  its  promised  blessedness.     Man  was  created  in 


20      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  image  of  God,  and  that  image  is  in  his  soul;  when  then  his 
Maker,  by  an  unspeakable  condescension,  came  in  his  nature.  He  took 
on  Himself  a  soul  in  order  to  take  en  Him  a  body;  He  took  on  Him 
a  soul  as  the  means  of  His  union  with  a  body;  He  took  oh  Him  in 
the  first  place  the  soul,  then  the  body  of  man,  both  at  once,  but  in 
this  order,  the  soul  and  the  body;  He  Himself  created  the  soul  which 
He  took  on  Himself,  while  He  took  His  body  from  the  flesh  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  His  Mother.  Thus  He  became  perfect  man  with 
body  and  soul;  and  as  He  took  on  Him  a  body  of  flesh  and  nerves, 
which  admitted  of  wounds  and  death,  and  was  capable  of  suffering, 
so  did  He  take  a  soul  too,  which  was  susceptible  of  that  suffering, 
and  moreover  was  susceptible  of  the  pain  and  sorrow  which  are 
proper  to  a  human  soul ;  and,  as  his  atoning  passion  was  undergone 
in  the  body,  so  it  was  undergone  in  the  soul  also. 

— Cardinal  Newman. 

HUMAN   NATURE  SANCTIFIED  BY  THE  INCARNATION 

God  stretched  out  His  hand  and  touched  human  nature  in  the 
Incarnation  and  restored  to  the  Temple  those  lepers  cast  out  from  the 
camp  of  God's  people,  so  that  they  migfit  offer  their  bodies  a  living 
victim  to  Him  of  whom  it  is  said:  "Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  Melchisedech." — Venerable  Bede. 

The  desired  of  all  Nations  shall  come. — Agg.  H,  8. 

Drop  down  dew,  ye  heavens,  from  above,  and  let  the  clouds  rain 
the  Just:  let  the  earth  be  opened,  and  bud  forth  a  Saviour:  and  let 
Justice  spring  up  together:  I,  the  Lord,  have  created  Him. 

—Is.  XLV,  8. 

THE  BIRTH  OF  JESUS 

Christ  was  not  born  according  to  the  common  course  of  Nature. 
As  the  conception  itself  utterly  transcends  the  order  of  Nature,  so 
also  in  the  birth  we  can  contemplate  nothing  but  what  is  Divine. 
Besides,  a  circumstance  wonderful  beyond  expression  or  conception. 
He  is  born  of  His  mother  without  any  diminution  of  her  maternal 
virginity;  and  as  He  afterwards  went  forth  from  the  sepulchre  whilst 
closed  and  sealed,  and  entered  the  room  in  which  His  disciples  were 
assembled,  ''the  doors  being  shut"  (John  xx,  19)  ;  as  the  rays  of 
the  sun  penetrate  without  breaking  or  injuring  in  the  least  the  solid 
substance  of  glass;  after  a  similar,  but  more  exalted  manner,  did 
Jesus  Christ  come  forth  from  His  mother's  womb,  without  any  injury 
to  her  maternal  virginity,  which,  immaculate  and  perpetual,  we 
celebrate  with  most  just  praises.  This  was  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who,  in  the  conception  and  birth  of  the  Son,  so  favoured  the 
mother  as  to  have  imparted  to  her  fecundity,  and  preserved  her 
perpetual  virginity. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

And  the  Word  was  made  flesh. — John  I,  14. 

This  day  is  bom  to  von  a  Saviour  Who  is  Christ  the  Lord. 

— Luke  TI.  II. 


JESUS  CHRIST  31 

FORMED  OF  VIRGIN  EARTH  LIKE  AD.V.M 

As  the  first  Adam  was  made  of  the  earth  before  it  was  cursed, 
so  the  second  Adam  was  formed  of  Virgin  earth  which  was  never 
cursed. — St.  Andrew. 

THE  INCARNATE  EVIDENCE  OF  COD'S  LOVE 

That  God  should  redeem  man  at  all,  that  He  should  make  atone- 
ment for  the  sins  of  mankind,  is  an  evidence  of  infinite  mercy.  But 
that  God  should  have  chosen  this  special  way,  the  Incarnation  of  His 
Divine  Son,  is  an  evidence  of  His  stupendous  love  for  the  creature 
of  His  hand.  It  is  the  answer  of  Heaven  to  the  cravings,  the  longings 
of  man,  an  answer  to  be  conceived  only  in  the  Divine  Mind.  Religion, 
in  its  very  essence,  implies  a  loving  creature  and  a  loving  God;  and 
the  history  of  man's  spiritual  life  has  been  a  series  of  cravings  and 
a  series  of  answers. — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

THE  FATHER  AND  THE  HOLY  GHOST  NOT  JUAN 

Jesus  Christ  is  truly  man;  but  He  is  also  truly  God.  Then,  are 
God  the  Father  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost  also  man  ?  No.  By  no 
means.  But  why  not?  For  the  simple  reason  that  it  was  not  the 
Nature  of  God  that  became  man,  that  Nature  which  is  common  to 
all  three;  but  it  was  the  Person  of  God  the  Son,  that  Person  who  is 
not  common  to  the  three,  but  is  distinct  and  undivided. 

— Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

THE  INCARNATION  THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  ANGELS 

It  is  said  that  when  the  angels  heard  it  proclaimed  that  the  Son 
of  God  was  to  be  born  in  the  flesh,  to  unite  in  His  person  the  human 
and  Divine  natures,  some  of  them  grew  jealous  of  the  dignity  thus 
conferred  on  men;  they  revolted  and  were  cast  down  into  hell. 
Hitherto,  the  Second  Divine  Person  had  been  Emmanuel  to  the 
spirits,  God  with  them;  henceforth,  He  should  be  also  Emmanuel 
to  men,  God  with  us.  For  with  our  nature  He  took  upon  Himself 
our  sins ;  and,  removing  our  sins,  Pie  removed  the  only  obstacle  that 
kept  us  apart  from  God,  He  united  us  to  God;  God  in  Christ  became 
God  with  us,  became  truly  in  nature  our  Emmanuel. 

— John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE   INCARNATION   PROCLAIMING   PEACE 

At  Christ's  birth,  in  the  obscure  village  of  Bethlehem,  the  angelic 
hosts,  in  accents  of  joy,  proclaimed  to  the  world  that  gladsome  peace 
which  He  was  about  to  establish  between  God  and  men.  "Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest;  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will" 
(Luke  ii,  14).  That  peace,  which  restores  men  to  the  right  of 
citizenship  in  Heaven,  He  valued  more  than  His  life.  For  in  the 
beautiful  and  expressive  words  of  St.  Paul  "He  made  peace  through 
the  blood  of  His  Cross"  (Col.  i,  20).  Hence  His  first  words  of  greet- 
ing to  His  beloved  disciples  on  that  eventful  day  of  His  Resurrection, 
when  His  glorified  form  appeared  to  them  within  the  closed  doors, 
were  the  consoling  words  of  that  eternal  peace  of  which  He  is  the 
pledge  "Peace  be  to  you"  (John  xx.  19). — /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 


22      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

WHY  JESCS  CAME  IN  HrJIILITY,  POVERTY,  AXD  SUFFERrXG 

Coming  to  redeem  our  sinful  race,  and  to  enlighten  a  world 
"seated  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,"  as  St.  John 
described  it,  He  began  His  work  of  reformation  by  preaching  His 
first,  sermon  from  the  pulpit  of  the  manger.  It  was  pride  and 
sensuality  that  caused  the  fall  of  our  race;  and  pride  and  avarice 
and  sensuality  were  the  great  evils  of  His  day,  as  they  are  also 
of  the  days  in  which  we  live.  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
gives  us  a  sad  picture  of  the  degraded  condition  to  which  pagan  Rome 
had  brought  itself  through  these  three  vices.  What  was  true  of 
pagan  Rome  was  true  of  other  ancient  cities  of  the  world;  it  is  true 
of  our  cities  to-day — pride,  avarice,  and  sensuality  are  the  ruling  gods 
of  our  age.  It  is  for  this  reason  Our  Lord  came  in  humility,  in 
poverty,  and  in  suffering,  to  condemn  the  vices  that  lead  most  men  to 
their  eternal  ruin. — C.  H.  McKenna,  O.  P. 

THE  MEANING  OF  THE  INCARNATION 

Literally,  incarnation  means  the  taking  on  of  flesh.  Applied  to 
the  Son  of  God,  it  is  that  act  by  which  the  Second  Person  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  came  upon  earth  and  took  to  Himself  a  human 
nature  such  as  that  which  we  possess.  This  does  not  mean  that 
human  nature  became  Divine  nature,  for  this  would  be  a  contradiction 
in  terms.  It  means  that  the  Divine  Person,  in  whom  the  Divine  nature 
is  complete,  united  to  the  Divine  nature  in  that  one  person  the  nature 
of  man,  so  that  we  have  the  mystery  of  the  two  natures,  that  of 
God  and  that  of  man,  existing  in  the  one  Person  who  is  Divine. 

— Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

THE  JOY  OF  THE  NATIVITY 

Let  us,  while  walking  by  faith,  in  exile  from  Him,  hungering 
and  thirsting  for  justice,  and  longing  with  unspeakable  ardour  for 
the  beauty  of  His  form  as  God,  devoutly  celebrate  Plis  natal  day  in 
the  form  of  a  Servant.  Not  yet  can  we  contemplate  Him  begotten 
of  the  Father  before  the  day-star;  let  us  hasten  to  Him  in  the  night 
hour  born  of  the  Virgin.  Not  yet  do  we  comprehend  how  His  Name 
continueth  before  the  sun;  let  us  recognize  how  in  the  sun  He  hath 
set  His  tabernacle.  Not  yet  do  we  see  the  Only  One  abiding  in  His 
Father;  let  us  recall  the  Bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  bridechamber. 
Not  yet  are  we  fit  for  the  Banquet  of  our  Father;  let  us  know  the 
Manger  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. — St.  Augustine. 

I  am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life.  No  man  cometh  to 
the  Father  but  by  Me. — John  XIV,  6. 

THE  SACRED  PASSION 

And  what  was  the  meaning  of  this  life  of  unsurpassed  sorrow  and 
pain,  humiliation,  and  seeming  defeat?  Love,  was  the  reason.  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  lived  and  died  simply  for  love  of  each  one  of  us. 
He,  the  Good  Shepherd,  lays  down  His  life  for  us  who  are  His 
sheep,  that  He  may  save  us  from  the  power  of  the  devil,  from  sin, 
and  from  eternal  death ;  he,  the  loving  Master,  teaches  us  the  truth 
of  God  to  which  He  bore  witness  every  moment  of  His  earthly  life, 
that  we  may  be  truly  free;  He,  the  righteous  Judge,  offers  us,  as 


JESUS  CHRIST  23 

our  reward,  the  gift  of  faith  that  we  may  inherit  the  joys  of  Heaven 
that  never  fade.  Love  is  poured  out  upon  the  earth  by  One  who 
manifested  perfectly  the  love  of  God  which  passeth  understanding. 
And  all  this  is  done,  these  manifold  gifts  of  grace,  truth,  and  life, 
are  given  to  us  of  the  sole  bounty  and  goodness  of  God,  Of  our- 
selves we  are  thankless,  selfish,  heartless,  God-forgetting.  The  Jews, 
who  had  experienced  so  many  favours  throughout  the  course  of  their 
long  history,  crucified  the  Messiah;  and  we,  who  call  ourselves  by 
the  sacred  Name  of  Christ,  have  little  love  in  our  hearts  for  Jesus; 
are  ready,  time  after  time,  to  sacrifice  Him  on  the  altar  of  our 
selfish  advancement,  or  to  crucify  Him  on  the  cross  of  an  angry 
passion  gratified,  a  revenge  accomplished,  an  enmity  embittered. 

— IV.  R.  Carson. 

As  the  celebration  of  the  Coenaculum  has  become  perpetual  and 
universal,  thus  the  battles  of  Gethsemani  and  Calvary  are  for  all 
times  and  for  all  nations. — C.  M.  Thuente,  O.  P. 

Surely  He  hath  borne  our  infirmities  and  carried  our  sorrows:  and 
we  have  thought  Him  as  it  were  a  leper,  and  as  one  struck  by  God  and 
afflicted. — But  He  zvas  wounded  for  our  iniquities,  He  was  bruised 
for  our  sins:  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him,  and  by  His 
bruises  we  are  healed. — Is.  LUI,  4-5. 

He  was  offered  because  it  was  His  ozvn  will,  and  He  opened  not 
His  mouth;  He  shall  be  led  as  a  Sheep  to  the  slaughter,  and  shall  be 
dumb  as  a  Lamb  before  His  shearer,  and  He  sliall  not  open  His 
mouth. — Is.  hill,  7. 

THE  DISTRESS  OF  HIS  SOUL 

This  being  the  case,  you  will  see  at  once,  that  it  is  nothing  to  the 
purpose  to  say  that  He  would  be  supported  under  His  trial  by  the 
consciousness  of  innocence  and  the  anticipation  of  triumph;  for  His 
trial  consisted  in  the  withdrawal,  as  of  other  causes  of  consolation,  so 
of  that  very  consciousness  and  anticipation.  The  same  act  of  the 
will  which  admitted  the  influence  upon  His  soul  of  any  distress  at 
all,  admitted  all  distresses  at  once.  It  was  not  the  contest  between 
antagonist  impulses  and  views,  coming  from  without,  but  the  opera- 
tion of  an  inward  resolution.  As  men  of  self-command  can  turn 
from  one  thought  to  another  at  their  will,  so  much  more  did  He 
deliberately  deny  Himself  the  comfort,  and  satiate  Himself  with  the 
v/oe.  In  that  moment  His  soul  thought  not  of  the  future,  He  thought 
only  of  the  present  burden  which  was  upon  Him,  and  which  He  had 
come  upon  earth  to  sustain. — Cardinal  Newman. 

We  have  seen  Him  despised  and  the  most  abject  of  men,  a  Man  of 
Sorrows  and  acquainted  with  infirmity;  and  His  look  was  as  it  were 
hidden. — Is.  LIII,  3. 

The  foxes  liave  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  nests;  but  the  Son 
of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head. — Matt.  VIII,  20. 


24      ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

CHKIST  ON  THE  CROSS 

"Gaze  en  Me,  O  My  children,  if  you  will,  for  I  am  helpless;  gaze 
on  your  Maker,  whether  in  contempt,  or  in  faith  and  love.  Here  I 
wait,  upon  the  Cross,  the  appointed  time,  the  time  of  grace  and 
mercy;  here  I  wait  till  the  end  of  the  world,  silent  and  motionless, 
for  the  conversion  of  the  sinful  and  the  consolation  of  the  just;  here 
I  remain  in  weakness  and  shame,  though  I  am  so  great  in  Heaven, 
till  the  end,  patiently  expecting  My  full  catalogue  of  souls,  who,  when 
the  time  is  at  length  over,  shall  be  the  reward  of  My  passion  and  the 
triumph  of  ]\Iy  grace  to  all  eternity." — Cardinal  Newman. 

the:  cross 

The  cross,  in  the  Roman  world,  was  made  of  two  coarse,  rough 
pieces  of  wood,  put  together  in  the  simplest  fashion,  to  form  a  gibbet 
that  should  serve  its  purpose  the  more  fully  in  proportion  as  it 
would  aggravate  the  suffering  and  contribute  to  the  degradation 
of  the  wretched  man  condemned  to  die  en  it.  With  us  half  of  the 
punishment  involved  in  death  by  hanging  is  the  dreadful  shame  asso- 
ciated with  death  upon  the  gallows.  But  the  shame  of  the  gallows 
is  slight  compared  to  the  ignominy  attached  in  ancient  days  to  cruci- 
fixion. The  cross  expressed  the  fullest  possible  measure  of  con- 
tempt, loathing,  scorn;  it  was  the  greatest  indignity  that  could  be  cast 
upon  the  vilest  of  human  beings.  No  free  citizen,  however  wicked, 
could  lawfully  be  crucified.  It  was  the  death  reserved  for  the 
depised  slave  and  the  hated  outlaw,  who  were  regarded  not  as 
men,  but  as  the  vilest  of  beasts.  Raised  high  toward  heaven,  its 
arms  stretching  out  toward  both  ends  of  the  earth,  the  Cross  of 
Jesus  Christ  proclaims  to  men  that  God's  love  has  conquered  the 
malice  and  wickedness  of  sinners;  that  mercy  has  overcome  justice; 
for  it  announces  that,  notwithstanding  our  sins,  God  hath  so  loved 
the  world  that,  for  our  sakes.  He  sent  on  earth  His  Divine  Son  to 
humble  Himself  for  us  unto  death,  even  unto  the  death  of  the 
Cross.  The  Cross  extends  its  arms  to  welcome  all,  to  save  all,  to 
proclaim  that  all  are  welcomed  as  the  ransomed  children  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom  over  which  reigns  the  immortal  King  of  ages, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews. — James  J.  Fox. 

THE  SACKED  PASSION  TEACHING  FORGIVENESS 

A  valiant  knight  was  once  grievously  insulted,  and  in  his  anger 
he  swore  to  be  revenged.  Very  early  one  morning  he  set  out  to 
punish  his  enemy  with  the  sword.  Now  there  was  a  chapel  by  the 
wayside,  into  which  he  entered,  and  glanced  at  the  pictures  upon 
the  walls.  There  were  three  pictures.  The  first  represented  our 
Lord  in  His  garments  of  mockery,  and  beneath  was  inscribed:  "He 
reviled  not,  though  He  was  reviled."  The  second  one  depicted  the 
scourging  with  the  words:  "He  threatened  not,  although  He  suffered." 
The  third  finally  was  the  crucifixion,  with  these  words  beneath: 
"Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  The  sight 
of  these  three  pictures  of  the  Passion  touched  the  knight's  heart.  He 
knelt  down  and  prayed,  and  his  desire  for  vengeance  melted  away 
before  the  rays  of  the  heavenly  love  of  Jesus,  like  ice  before  the 
sun's  rays. — P.  llchcl,  S.  J. 


JESUS  CHRIST  25 

THE  RESURRECTION:  ITS  EVIDENXE 

If  there  be  cne  fact  in  history,  which  is  better  entitled  to  credit 
than  any  other,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  that  fact  is  the  glorious 
resurrection  of  Jesus  from  the  tcmb.  Never,  no,  never,  within  the 
memory  of  man,  was  any  transaction  transmitted  through  every 
successive  generation,  from  the  period  of  its  occurrence  to  the  present 
day,  amidst  such  a  blaze  of  evidence.  It  is  attested  by  the  positive 
and  unexceptionable  testimony  of  persons  of  the  highest  integrity, 
who  were  themselves  eye-witnesses  of  it,  who  saw  Jesus  dead,  and 
who  afterward  beheld  Him  alive;  who  beheld  Him  not  once  or  twice 
only,  but  frequently;  not  transiently  but  for" a  considerable  time;  who 
not  only  beheld  Him  but  who  heard  Him,  conversed  with  Him, 
touched  Him,  ate  and  drank  with  Him,  and  had  every  imaginable 
certainty,  both  of  the  reality  and  identity  of  His  person  which  it  was 
possible  for  the  evidence  of  the  senses  to  convey,  and  who  proved, 
moreover,  theif  honesty  and  sincerity  by  that  best  of  arguments,  the 
shedding  of  their  blood. — Thomas  F.  Biirkc,  C.  S.  P. 

This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  again,  whereof  all  zve  are  zvitnesses. — 
Being  exalted  therefore  by  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  having  received 
of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  He  hath  poured  forth 
this  which  you  see  and  hear. — Acts  II,  32,  33. 

As  Jonas  was  in  the  whale's  belly  three  days  and  three  nights,  so 
shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  in  the  heart  of  the  earth  three  days  and  three 
nights. — Matt.  XII,  40. 

Destroy  this  Temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up. — But  he 
spoke  of  the  Temple  of  His  Body. — John  II,  19,  21. 

THE   IMPORTANCE    OF   THE   RESURRECTION 

What  a  wonderful  change  was  wrought  at  once  in  the  Apostles' 
minds  by  the  knowledge  of  the  Resurrection !  What  a  revulsion 
from  doubt  to  certainty,  sorrow  to  triumph,  despair  to  faith  and 
confidence !  It  was  a  change  for  them  as  from  darkness  to  sun- 
shine, even  as  from  death  to  life.  The  world  had  seemed  to  be  shat- 
tered, and  an  abyss  opened  beneath  their  feet  when  all  their  beliefs 
and  hopes,  all  thoughts  and  certainties,  collapsed  at  once  at  the  death 
of  their  beloved  Master.  Now  it  was  as  if  the  solid  world  had  been 
created  anew.  After  all,  they  were  not  deceived,  Jesus  was  still  a 
reality,  His  words  were  true;  a  great  future  was  still  open  before 
Him  and  them.  What  did  the  scandal  of  the  Cross  matter  now,  or 
weakness,  or  obscurities,  or  the  triumph  of  His  foes,  since  Jesus  was 
really  risen? — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  .4SCENSI0N:  ITS  ADVANTAGES  FOR  US 

In  the  first  place,  the  merit  of  our  faitK  was  greatly  augmented; 
because  faith  has  for  its  object  those  things  that  fall  not  under  the 
senses,  and  are  remote  from  the  reason  and  intelligence  of  men. 
Wherefore,  if  the  Lord  had  not  departed  from  us,  the  merit  of  our 
faith  would  be  diminished ;  for  Christ  the  Lord  has  declared  them 
"blessed"  that  have  not  "seen,  and  have  believed"   (John  xx,  29). 


26      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Besides,  the  ascension  of  Christ  into  heaven  has  great  weight  to 
confirm  in  our  hearts  hope;  since,  beheving  that  Christ,  as  man, 
ascended  into  heaven,  and  placed  human  nature  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  the  Father,  we  are  in  great  hope  that  we,  His  members,  shall 
also  ascend  thither,  and  be  there  united  with  our  Head,  according 
to  this  testimony  of  our  Lord  Himself:  "Father  I  will,  that  where 
I  am,  they  also,  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  may  be  with  me"  (John 
xvii,  24).  In  the  next  place,  we  have  attained  this  most  specially 
important  advantage,  that  it  has  rapt  our  love  to  Heaven,  and  inflamed 
it  with  the  Divine  Spirit;  for,  most  truly  has  it  been  said,  that  where 
our  treasure  is,  there  also  is  our  heart  (Matt,  vi,  21). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

The  Lord  Jesus,  after  He  had  spoken  to  them,  was  taken  up  into 
Heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God. — Mark  XVI,  19. 

"8ITTETH  AT  THE  BIGHT  HAND  OF  THE  FATHEB" 

In  these  words  we  observe  a  trope,  that  is,  the  changing  of  a  word 
from  its  literal  to  a  figurative  meaning,  a  thing  frequent  in  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  when,  accommodating  the  matter  to  our  under- 
standing, we  attribute  human  affections  and  members  to  God,  in 
whom,  spirit  that  He  is,  nothing  corporeal  can  be  conceived.  But, 
as,  in  human  things,  we  consider  Him  who  is  placed  at  the  right  hand 
to  occupy  the  more  honourable  place,  transferring  the  same  idea  to 
celestial  things  also,  in  order  to  express  the  glory  which  Christ,  as 
man,  has  obtained  before  all  others,  we  confess  that  He  is  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Father.  Here,  however,  "to  sit"  does  not  imply  position 
and  figure  of  body  but  declares  the  fixed  and  permanent  possession 
of  even  royal  and  supreme  power  and  glory  which  He  has  received 
from  the  Father;  of  which  the  Apostle  says:  "Raising  Him  up  from 
the  dead,  and  setting  Him  at  His  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places, 
above  all  principality,  and  power,  and  virtue,  and  dominion,  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is 
to  come ;  and  He  hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet"  (Eph.  i,  20,  sag.)  ; 
words  which  manifestly  imply  that  this  glory  belongs  to  our  Lord 
in  a  manner  so  special  and  exclusive,  as  not  possibly  to  suit  any 
other  created  nature;  whence,  in  another  place,  the  Apostle  testifies: 
"To  which  of  the  angels  said  He  at  any  time:  Sit  on  My  right  hand?" 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  CHRIST 

The  spirit  of  Christ  and  the  spirit  of  the  world  are  so  opposed 
that  each  is  "death"  as  regards  the  other.  Their  aims  are  different: 
one  pointing  to  a  future  life  as  the  supreme  object  to  which  all  else 
must  be  subordinate,  while  the  other  denies  that  there  is  anv  reality 
beyond  this  life.  To  the  one,  all  this  present  existence,  with  works 
and  duties  belonging  to  the  family  or  the  state,  with  pleasures  and 
possessions,  is  but  a  means  or  instrument  for  some  further  end ;  and 
at  the  same  time  it  may  be  an  impediment  and  a  danger.  These 
things,  then,  require  to  be  pursued  with  caution,  without  exclusive 
attachment,  and  with  much  restraint.  The  carnal  spirit  considers 
temporal  things  as  the  sole  object  of  existence;  and  all  other  con- 
siderations such  as  moral  or  spiritual  laws  must  be  subordinated  to 


JESUS  CHRIST  27 

that  great  object.  The  spirit  of  Christ  says  that  self-sacrifice  for 
the  sake  of  God  and  man  is  necessary  to  the  perfect  Hfe  and  future 
happiness.  The  spirit  of  the  world  says,  "Seek  first  your  own  good; 
let  all  interests  be  sacrificed  to  your  own."  The  world  says,  "Let  us 
eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  wc  die."  Christ  says,  "Mortify,  there- 
fore, your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth."  The  qualities  which 
the  world  admires,  practices,  and  inculcates  upon  the  rising  genera- 
tions, are  pride,  covetousness,  lust,  anger,  gluttony,  envy  and  sloth. 
The  qualities  most  cordially  detested  are  the  great  virtues  of  the 
Gospel,  humility,  liberality,  chastity,  meekness,  temperance,  brotherly 
love,  diligence. — Bishop  Bellord. 

My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me,  that  I  may  perfect 
His  zvork. — John  IV,  34. 

Whereas  indeed  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  He  learned  obedience  by 
the  things  which  He  suffered. — Heb.  V,  8. 

JESUS  NEVER  DEFENDED  HIMSELF 

Thus  Jesus  spoke  to  guide  the  multitudes  and  to  defend  the  simple 
people;  but  He  never  spoke  to  defend  himself  against  the  many 
unjust,  malicious  attacks  made  upon  His  sinless  character  and  His 
holy  work.    Jesus  is  great  and  majestic  in  His  Silence. 

—C.  M.  Thuente,  0.  P. 

THE  DISCIPLE  OF  THE  SUFFEBEB  MUST  BE  A  SUFFERER  HIMSELF 

He  whose  life  was  a  life  of  sorrow,  who  was  born  in  poverty,  who 
was,  even  in  infancy,  forced  to  fly  from  those  who  would  put  him 
to  death,  who  was  ever  offered  insults  and  injuries,  who  was  scourged 
and  mocked  and  crowned  with  thorns,  who  was  spat  upon  and  treated 
with  every  indignity,  who  was  finally  compelled  to  suffer  the  ignominy 
and  the  torture  of  crucifixion,  who  was,  throughout  all  His  days,  the 
Man  of  Sorrows,  will  naturally  number  among  His  followers  not  those 
whose  object  in  life  is  to  seek  out  pleasure  and  ease  and  comfort 
and  sensual  gratification  of  every  kind,  but  rather  those  whose  lives 
are  resplendent  with  humility  and  denial,  with  sacrifice  and  suffering, 
with  grief  and  affiiction.  "Whosoever  doth  not  carry  his  cross  and 
come  after  me  can  not  be  my  disciple."  The  child  is  molded  after 
the  character  of  its  parent:  the  pupil  drinks  in  the  wisdom  of  the 
teacher:  the  soldier  derives  renewed  courage  from  the  bravery  of 
his  leader:  the  friend  is  formed  in  the  likeness  of  his  friend,  and  so 
the  disciple  of  the  Sufferer  must  be  a  sufferer  himself. 

— Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

THE  MEBCX  OF  CHRIST 

What  are  the  offenses  which  men  judge  most  harshly  and  forgive 
least  willingly  ?  In  men,  disloyality ;  in  women,  unchastity.  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  the  model  of  true  and  loyal  friendship;  He 
was  the  very  perfection  of  piety,  and  yet  He  showed  himself  generous 
in  forgiving  offenses  against  these  virtues. 

There  was  an  Apostle  whom  He  had  signally  honoured  with  His 
confidence.  He  had  announced  him  as  the  future  head  of  His  Church. 
He  had  confided  to  him  the  leadership  in  the  great  work  of  carrying 


23      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

on  His  mission.  And  yet  in  the  time  of  His  greatest  trial,  when  He 
most  needed  a  friend,  that  Apostle  abjured  Him.  He  had  sworn  but 
a  few  hours  before  to  be  faithful  unto  death,  even  thouyh  all  others 
should  fail.  The  time  of  trial  came  and  found  him  a  deserter, 
cowardly  and  forsworn.  His  only  punishment  was  a  look,  a  look 
of  reproach,  no  doubt,  but  back  of  the  reproach  was  a  great  and 
Divine  pity  for  his  weakness  and  self-degradation.  That  look  drove 
him  forth  into  the  night,  but  not  into  the  night  of  despair.  It  loosed 
ihe  fount  of  his  tears,  and  with  repentance  came  hope  and  new 
manhood.  When  Christ  met  him  after  His  resurrection.  He  spoke 
to  him  no  direct  word  of  blame.  St.  Peter  felt  the  gentle  reproach 
in  the  thrice-repeated  question,  "Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?" 
but  en  his  humble  renewal  of  his  loyalty,  the  gracious  Lord  rewarded 
him  by  once  more  committing  to  him  the  lambs  and  the  sheep  for 
whose  salvation  He  had  offered  His  own  life.  Could  anything  be 
more  trustful,  more  winning,  more  benign? 

Let  us  now  consider  one  other  example  of  Christ's  generosity  in 
pardoning.  One  day,  St.  John  tells  us,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
brought  to  Him  in  the  Temple  courtyard  a  woman  taken  in  adultery. 
They  quoted  to  Him  the  law  of  IMoses  which  decreed  that  such  a 
one  should  be  stoned.  To  their  query  He  answered  nothing,  but 
stooping  over.  He  wrote  with  His  finger  on  the  ground.  Then  He 
said,  "He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone 
at  her."  And  again  stooping  down,  He  wrote  en  the  ground.  The 
sacred  narrative  does  not  tell  us  what  He  wrote,  but  it  is  believed 
that  His  finger  traced  a  hint  of  the  secret  sins  of  the  accusers.  The 
eldest  among  these  glanced  at  the  writing  in  the  dust,  then  drew  his 
hood  closer  round  his  reddening  face,  and  silently  slipped  away. 
Another  and  another  read  the  brief  record  of  his  own  shame,  and 
vanished  from  sight,  until  finally  Jesus  alone  remained  with  the 
woman,  in  whose  eyes  terror  and  wonder  struggled  with  dawning 
hope.  "Woman,"  He  said,  "where  are  they  that  accused  thee? 
Hath  no  man  condemned  thee?"  She  murmured,  gratefully,  "No 
man,  Lord."  Then  said  He,  "neither  will  I  condemn  thee.  Go,  and 
now  sin  no  more." — Francis  P.  Duffy. 

CHRIST'S  exa:«ple  of  forgiveness 

In  the  life  of  Christ  we  find  that  He  lifted  His  omnipotent  hand 
almost  daily  to  bless  and  to  heal ;  that  He  spoke  often  to  console, 
to  bring  comfort  and  to  call  the  dead  to  life,  but  we  never  find  Him 
using  His  power  Divine  to  humiliate  or  to  frustrate  an  enemy. 

— C.  M.  Thuente.  O.  P. 

And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  front  the  earth,  ivill  drazv  all  things  to 
Myself. — /  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  zi'orld. 

— John  XII,  32,  47. 

For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  zvas 
lost.— Luke.  XIX,   10. 

THE  TEARS  OF  JESUS 

Tears,  they  say,  have  a  great  power  over  the  human  heart.    What 


JESUS  CHRIST  29 

prayers  and  threats  cannot  accomplish,  tears  will  achieve.  The 
menaces  of  the  Almighty,  the  inspirations  of  grace  have  not  con- 
verted our  hearts.  Will  the  tears  of  Jesus  also  fail  to  soften  them? 
Can  we  look  up  to  the  tear-stained,  sorrowful  Face  of  the  Saviour 
and  yet  continue  in  our  dissolute  ways !  The  tears  of  a  mother 
have  reclaimed  many  a  prodigal  son  from  a  career  of  debauch  and 
self-indulgence.    Are  the  tears  of  Jesus  less  powerful? 

— Charles  Brtiehl. 

THE  PATIENCE  OF  CHRIST 

We  know,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  three  long  years  of  constant 
schooling,  of  intimate  conversation  and  friendship,  had  left  these 
men  as  ignorant,  as  gross  and  untaught,  as  on  the  day  when  they 
abandoned  their  nets  on  the  bank  of  the  sea  of  Galilee  to  follow  the 
Master.  Neither  teachings,  nor  reproaches,  nor  repeated  miracles, 
had  been  of  avail  to  bring  them  to  a  reasonable  stand  in  their 
attitude  towards  Him.  He  had  foretold  to  them  His  death.  His 
resurrection  and  the  accompanying  prodigies.  The  angel  at  the 
tomb,  the  disciples  of  Emmaus,  the  holy  women,  had  confirmed  His 
prophetic  word.  Yet  naught  of  all  this  stirred  them,  nothing  con- 
vinced them ;  they  seemed  rather  the  more  firmly  grounded  in  their 
indecision  and  unbelief.  Thomas  refuses  outright  to  believe.  Mag- 
dalen with  touching  piety  but  wavering  reliance  in  Christ's  word 
prepares  to  embalm  His  Body  with  precious  ointments.  The  disci- 
ples first  receive  the  accounts  of  the  holy  women  as  a  nightmare,  an 
hallucination,  a  phantasy  born  of  weak  nerves  and  a  sick  brain.  Con- 
fronted themselves  with  the  glorified  Body  of  Him  whom  they  had 
seen  slain,  they  imagine  they  behold  a  phantom,  a  ghost!  What 
could  equal  this  depth  of  obstinate  and  blind  perverseness — what, 
but  the  compassionate  goodness  and  condescending  pity  of  the 
Saviour,  whose  patience  seems  to  surpass  all  limit !  For  would  it  not 
be  unqualifiedly  unreasonable  to  require  of  the  Almighty  that  He 
measure  the  evidence  of  His  works  with  the  exigencies  of  an  un- 
derstanding dulled  by  obstinate  pride  or  beclouded  by  carnal  interests? 

Yet  He  did  it.  The  importance  of  the  truth  itself  of  the  Resur- 
rection— the  keystone  of  the  whole  edifice  of  religion  He  had  come 
upon  earth  to  raise;  the  need  He  had,  for  His  glory,  of  the  men 
He  had  formed  with  such  jealous  care;  His  affection  for  His  Church, 
for  His  disciples,  for  us,  for  the  hard  of  belief  of  all  ages — forced 
Him  to  it. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD 

The  East,  we  are  told,  never  changes,  and  what  we  see  there 
to-day  we  may  be  almost  certain  the  eyes  of  our  Saviour  rested  on. 
We  have  the  following  description,  from  the  pen  of  one  who  lived 
in  Palestine  for  thirty  years,  of  what  can  be  witnessed  there  in  this 
matter  almost  at  any  moment.  "Our  Saviour  says  (such  are  His 
words)  that  the  good  shepherd,  when  he  putteth  forth  his  own  sheep, 
goeth  before  them,  and  they  follow.  This  is  true  to  the  letter.  They 
are  so  tame  and  so  trained  that  they  follow  their  keeper  with  the 
utmost  docility.  He  leads  them  forth  from  the  fold  or  from  the 
houses  in  the  villages  just  where  he  pleases.  As  there  are  many 
flocks  in  such  a  place  as  this,  each  one  takes  a  different  path,  and 


30      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

it  is  his  business  to  find  pasture  for  them."  The  traveler  then  tells 
us  that  the  shepherd  teaches  his  sheep  to  follow  him ;  that  as  they  go 
on  their  way  to  the  destination  he  has  in  view,  he  stops,  turns,  and 
calls  to  them,  to  remind  them  of  his  presence;  that,  when  he  calls, 
they  hasten  their  steps  and  follow  on ;  and  that,  should  another  call 
them,  they  halt,  remain  motionless,  and,  should  that  other  be  a  perfect 
stranger,  they  turn  and  flee,  because  his  voice  is  unknown  to  them. 
This  experiment,  the  writer  proceeds  to  inform  us,  he  has  himself 
often  made.  He  speaks  of  the  dangers  run  by  the  shepherds  for  their 
sheep.  "I  have  listened  with  intense  interest  to  their  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  downright  and  desperate  fights  with  savage  beasts."  The 
wolf,  the  panther,  the  leopard  come;  the  thief  and  the  robber  do 
their  worst;  and  the  shepherd  has  to  submit  to  blows  and  wounds, 
and  sometimes  to  death.  "A  poor  faithful  fellow,"  he  goes  on  to 
narrate,  "last  spring,  between  Tiberias  and  Tabor,  instead  of  fleeing, 
actually  fought  three  Bedouin  robbers  until  he  was  hacked  to  pieces, 
and  died  among  the  sheep  he  was  defending."  The  sheep,  we  are 
reminded  in  this  account,  keep  near  to  their  shepherd.  Some  nearer 
than  the  rest  are  specially  beloved;  some  stay  farther  away,  but  are 
careful  not  to  go  outside  the  range  of  his  voice ;  and  a  few,  now  and 
again,  wander  and  are  lost.  "I  have  repeatedly  seen  the  silly  goat 
or  sheep  running  hither  and  thither  and  bleating  piteously  after  the 
lost  flock,  only  to  call  forth  from  their  dens  the  beasts  of  prey,  or  to 
bring  up  the  lurking  thief  who  quickly  quiets  its  cries  in  death." 

— John  Freeland. 

I  am  the  Door.  By  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  he  saved:  and 
he  shall  go  in  and  go  out,  and  shall  find  pastures. — /  am  the  Good 
Shepherd.  The  Good  Shepherd  giveth  His  life  for  His  sheep. — /  am 
the  Good  Sliepherd;  I  know  Mine,  and  Mine  know  Me. 

— John  X,  9,  II,  14. 

THE  HUMILITY  OF  CHRIST 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  our  Lord  could,  if  He  had  chosen, 
have  made  Himself  exceedingly  popular.  He  could  have  engineered 
a  great  social  movement,  or  a  political  revolution,  merely  by  force 
of  that  nameless  attractiveness  which  led  the  crowd  to  listen  to  Him 
and  follow  Him.  But  at  the  critical  moment  He  invariably  refused 
or  repelled  the  popular  homage.  When  the  multitude  wanted  to 
"make  Him  a  king,"  a  champion,  probably,  of  the  downtrodden 
poorer  classes,  He  hid  Himself.  When  a  great  following  was  attach- 
ing itself  to  Him  as  a  benevolent  wonder-worker,  from  whom  a 
constant  supply  of  the  necessaries  of  life  might  be  expected,  He 
horrified  His  hearers  by  His  unexplained  reference  to  the  great  and 
august  mystery  in  which  His  own  Body  was  to  be  the  food  of  His 
adherents,  so  that  most  of  His  followers  turned  back  and  walked 
with  Him  no  more.  So  also,  at  the  end  of  His  career  on  earth,  there 
came  a  final  scene  of  enthusiasm,  which  He  might,  if  He  had  chosen, 
have  made  use  of  to  overwhelm  the  scheme  of  the  Jewish  authorities 
for  His  destruction,  and  to  obtain  for  Himself  a  portion  of  natural 
authority  and  influence.  The  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  felt  the 
menace  of  this  popular  outburst  and  their  own  powerlessness  against 
it.      "Do    you    see    that    we   prevail    nothing?      Behold,    the    whole 


JESUS  CHRIST  tl 

world  is  gone  after  Him."  But  they  need  not  have  been  afraid; 
our  Lord  was  constant  to  His  principle  of  independence,  and  would 
not  use  His  opportunity.  Now,  as  always,  He  acceoted  the  popular 
acclamation  as  some  small  part  of  His  due,  but  He  gave  it  no 
positive  encouragement,  and  made  no  use  of  it  whatever:  He  merely 
let  it  die  out,  for  want  of  anything  to  feed  upon.  He  would  not  fan 
the  flame  by  a  harangue,  or  feed  it  with  a  party  cry;  He  led  the 
shouting  crowds  nowhere  and  proposed  no  enterprise  to  them.  H 
they  liked  to  follow  and  acclaim  Him  as  King  and  Messias,  well  and 
good;  He  was  all  that  they  thought  Him,  and  more.  But  He  would 
offer  them  nothing  beyond  His  own  personality — no  gifts,  no  schemes 
of  political  reform,  no  incitement  to  revolutionary  enterprise.  "He 
entered  into  the  Temple  and  viewed  all  things  round  about."  That 
was  all — a  tame  ending,  indeed,  to  a  day  of  so  much  enthusiasm.  So 
there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done  or  seen,  or  said;  the  crowd  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  disperse,  and  Jesus  "went  out  to  Bethania  with 
the  twelve."  No  hosannas,  no  waving  palm  branches,  no  carpet  of 
foliage  and  the  garments  of  passionate  adherents,  no  splendour  of 
sunshine  to  supply  the  lack  of  royal  magnificence ;  but  the  cold  evening 
wind  and  the  silence  of  coming  night;  withered  leaves  by  the  rugged 
wayside,  and  thirteen  tired  figures  slowly  climbing  in  the  gathering 
darkness. — A.  B.  SJiarpe. 

HOW  WE  RECEIVE  CHRIST 

We  may  also  reflect  that  all  do  not  receive  and  possess  Jesus  in 
the  same  way.  Some,  like  the  Bethlehemite,  refuse  Him  a  shelter, 
and  these  are  bad  Christians;  others  receive  Him  coldly  and  indiffer- 
ently, and  these  are  lukewarm  Christians ;  others  again,  like  the 
shepherds,  come  with  faith  to  adore  their  Lord  at  the  manger,  and 
afterward  return  to  their  usual  occupations,  but  continue  to  return 
again  and  again  to  the  service  of  their  Saviour,  these  are  fervent 
Christians;  finally,  others,  like  Mary  and  Joseph,  always  remain 
with  and  possess  Jesus,  and  these  are  the  perfect  Christians,  who  with 
their  whole  heart  and  with  all  their  strength  live  to  God  and  to 
Christ  Our  Lord. — Arthur  Devine,  C.  P. 

CHRIST  ALOXE   SIUST  RULE  IX  THE  HEART 

The  heart  of  man  is  naturally  a  pantheon.  It  is  filled  with  idols 
and  it  worships  them.  Inordinate  self-love  and  passionate  love  of 
creatures  profane  and  defile  it.  When  Christ  enters  the  heart.  He 
enters  as  a  King.  The  heart  must  be  His  own,  and  in  it  He  must 
rule  supreme.  He  tolerates  no  false  gods,  no  idols.  They  all  must 
vanish  before  His  face,  even  as  the  snow  melts  before  the  warm 
rays  of  the  April  sun. — C.  M.  Thuente,  O.  P. 

JESUS  REJECTED 

A  holy  monk  was  going  through  a  forest  one  Christmas  night 
He  was  thinking  about  the  love  of  God,  in  sending  His  beloved  Son 
Jesus  to  be  born  on  that  night  for  us.  As  he  was  passing  along,  he 
thought  he  heard  the  cries  of  a  newly  born  child  not  far  from  him. 
He  turned  towards  the  place  from  whence  the  sound  came,  and 
behold,  he  saw  lying  on  the  snow  a  beautiful  child,  crying  and  tremb- 


■62      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

ling  in  the  cold.  Filled  with  compassion  for  the  poor  infant,  he  said, 
"My  little  child,  how  is  it  that  you  are  thus  left  alone,  lying  on  the 
cold  snow?  Who  has  had  the  cruelty  to  leave  you  there?"  Then 
the  little  child — for  it  was  a  vision  of  Jesus  Himself  that  the  monk 
saw — answered  him:  "Alas!  how  can  I  help  crying,  when  I  see 
Myself  abandoned  by  everyone,  when  I  see  that  nobody  receives  Me 
or  has  pity  for  Me.  Having  said  this.  He  disappeared.  The  monk 
then  understood  that  this  vision  was  given  him  to  show  him  that  men 
whom  Jesus  came  from  Heaven  to  save,  instead  of  loving  Him  and 
receiving  Him  with  joy,  do  Jiot  make  room  in  their  hearts  for  Him, 
but  cast  Him  out,  as  the  Jews  did,  to  a  poor  stable,  and  leave  Him 
there  to  cry,  without  giving  Him  even  one  word  of  pity. 

— St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

JESUS,  A  MAN  OF  PRAYER 

Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  made  flesh  and  dwelling  among  us  to 
teach  us  how  to  live  and  save  our  souls,  was  a  Man  of  prayer.  He 
taught  and  illustrated  every  virtue,  but  none  so  frequently  and 
emphatically  as  prayer.  His  long  hidden  life  was  a  life  of  uninter- 
rupted prayer.  At  the  beginning  of  His  public  life  the  Holy  Spirit 
led  Him  into  the  desert  to  fast  and  pray  for  forty  days.  When  He 
returned  He  ascended  the  mountain,  addressed  His  disciples,  the 
multitudes,  the  whole  world — and  preached  prayer ! 

— C.  M.  Thuente,  0.  P. 

THE  SACRED  HEART 

One  day,  as  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  was  kneeling  before  the  altar, 
Jesus  appeared  to  her  in  a  visible  manner  in  all  the  splendour  of 
His  glory,  His  five  wounds  shining  like  five  bright  suns.  He  showed 
her  His  adorable  Heart  all  surrounded  with  flames,  and  told  her  the 
great  extent  to  which  the  excess  of  His  love  for  man  had  carried 
Him.  "Behold,"  He  said,  "behold  this  Heart  which  has  loved  men 
so  much,  and  made  every  effort  to  testify  that  love.  In  return  I 
receive  from  the  greater  number  only  contempt  and  ingratitude. 
It  is  this,"  He  continued,  "which  I  feel  more  deeply  than  all  that 
I  suffered  in  My  Passion;  for  if  they  would  only  return  My  love, 
I  would  consider  all  that  I  have  done  for  them  as  nothing,  and,  if 
possible,  I  would  even  wish  to  do  more;  instead  of  which  I  meet  with 
coldness  and  repulses  from  men  in  My  anxiety  to  do  them  good. 
At  least,  then,"  added  He,  "do  thou  give  Me  satisfaction  by  atoning 
for  their  ingratitude  as  far  as  thou  art  able." 

The  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  is  with  reason  called  a  treasure 
of  true  sanctity ;  for  it  is  the  devotion  which  most  pleases  God  and 
most  helps  souls.  By  it  we  return  love  for  love,  by  it  we  repair  the 
injuries  of  ungrateful  men,  by  it  we  obtain  the  most  precious  of  all 
graces,  and  we  know  that  Our  Lord  prefers  it,  and  rewards  it,  before 
all  other  devotions.  He  has  asked  us  to  honour  His  Divine  Heart 
by  pictures  in  our  rooms  and  prayer-books,  and  has  promised  blessings 
wherever  they  shall  be.  Its  practice  is:  (i)  By  thanking  Him  for 
His  immense  love  for  men,  especially  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and 
therefore  by  consecrating  ourselves,  our  prayers,  works,  and  sufferings 
to  Him  every  day.  (2)  By  compassion  for  the  ill-treatment  He 
receives   from   sinners,   and   therefore   by  acts   of  reparation   to   His 


JESUS  CHRIST  83 

wounded  honour.  (3)  By  fighting  self,  that  we  may  love  Him  better: 
first,  in  all  affection  to  any  deliberate  sin;  second,  all  indulgence  of 
sensuality  or  self-love;  and  third,  in  dissipation  of  mind  and  heart 
over  exterior  things.  (4)  By  making  others  know  and  love  this 
Devotion  at  every  opportunity.    Lastly,  by  great  love  of  our  Lady. 

— /.  Dignam,  S.  J. 

THE  HOLY  NAME 

The  Holy  Spirit  saw  that  Name  throughout  the  ages  of  man's 
existence,  and,  in  all  His  work  for  the  sanctification  of  souls,  knew 
that  it  was  through  this  Name  that  He  could  find  entrance  into 
the  hearts  of  men.  Whether  before  that  day  or  since.  His  grace, 
as  it  is  powerful  in  the  insoirations  with  which  He  favours  men; 
as  it  is  manifested  in  the  unerring  guidance  of  the  church;  as  it  is 
poured  forth  through  the  Sacraments,  could  do  its  work  only  through 
the  merits  of  Jesus,  whose  act  of  salvation  was  required  that  men 
might  return  to  God. — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

Thou  shaft  call  His  Name  Jesus.  For  He  shall  save  His  people 
from  their  sins. — Matt,  I,  21, 

He  humbled  Himself,  becoming  obedient  unto  death,  even  to  the 
death  of  the  Cross; — For  zvhich  cause  God  also  hath  exalted  Him,  and 
hath  given  Him  a  Name  which  is  above  all  names: — That  in  the  Name 
of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bozu,  of  those  that  are  in  Heaven,  on  earth, 
and  tinder  the  earth, — And  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  in  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. — Phil.  H,  8-1 1. 

Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other.  For  there  is  no  other 
name  under  heaven  given  to  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved. 

—Acts   IV,    12. 

Visit  the  bedside  of  the  dying  Saint;  see  him  as  life  is  ebbing  away 
and  the  dawn  of  a  truer  life  and  love  is  breaking;  see  him  fix  the  eyes 
that  are  being  dimmed  by  death  in  a  steady  gaze  upon  the  crucifix 
that  he  clasps  in  his  hand;  listen  to  the  last  word  of  his  voice,  uttered 
with  unspeakable  affection,  and  you  will  hear  the  sound  of  the  name 
Jesus. 

Gaze  back  into  the  past,  and  on  some  Roman  holiday  stand  in 
the  amphitheater  of  the  Imperial  City;  behold  a  man,  despised  of 
men,  an  outcast  about  to  meet  his  death;  see  approach  the  racing 
beasts  ready  to  devour  him;  see  the  smile  of  Heaven  that  lights  up 
his  countenance,  and  hear  the  martyr's  last  word  in  which  he  finds 
strength  and  courage — Jesus.' — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

Jesus!  Speak  the  word,  and  you  have  made  an  act  of  faith.  You 
have  professed  vour  belief  in  Him  who  taught  men  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, who  said  that  He  was  the  wav,  the  truth  and  the  life.  You  have 
yielded  the  homage  of  vour  intellect  to  Him  who  had  the  power  and 
the  right  to  teach  men  the  thines  of  God. 

Jesus!    Speak  the  word,  and  you  have  made  an  act  of  hope.    You 


34      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

have  brought  up  before  your  soul  the  vision  that  gives  you  the 
right  to  hope.  Despite  the  fall  of  the  human  race,  despite  your 
own  sins,  despite  the  cruel  persistence  of  the  powers  of  evil,  despite 
the  discouragement  of  many  temptations,  and  the  bitter  weariness 
of  the  welfare  of  life,  despite  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  and  the 
infidelity  of  the  world,  in  that  Name  your  soul  is  raised  above  the 
struggling,  tossing  strife  and  empovi^ered  to  look  into  the  very  courts 
of  Heaven. 

Jesus!  Speak  the  word,  and  you  have  made  an  act  of  love. 
Through  faith  and  hope  you  are  enabled  to  utter  it  with  that  which 
surpasses  these — love  itself.  If  you  were  to  ask  the  rabble  that  sur- 
rounded the  Cross  upon  Good  Friday  why  that  name  of  Jesus  was 
written  above  the  form  that  hung  upon  the  wood,  they  would  tell 
you  that  it  was  the  name  of  one  who  had  blasphemed  against  God. 
If  you  were  to  ask  your  own  soul  why  this  name  was  there  in- 
scribed, you  would  be  compelled  to  answer:  "It  was  because  of 
my  sins."  But  if  it  were  given  you  to  gaze  with  the  spiritual  eyes 
of  faith,  to  read  what  the  eyes  of  the  executor  and  the  sinner 
could  not  see,  you  would  behold,  burning  with  the  light  of  Heaven 
and  emblazoned  in  letters  of  gold,  another  word  beside  that  sacred 
Name,  and  that  word — Love! — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

In  a  New  York  hospital  there  was  recently  on  the  operating  table 
a  man  who  suffered  of  cancer  of  the  tongue,  and  the  only  way  to 
save  his  life  was  to  remove  the  tongue.  Surgeons  and  nurses  were 
assembled  and  everything  was  ready  for  the  operation,  when  the 
chief  surgeon  asked  the  patient  if  he  wished  to  say  a  few  words  for 
the  last  time,  because  after  the  operation  he  would  be  speechless  for 
life.  The  patient  nodded  his  head,  sat  up  and  said  with  a  loud  voice: 
"Praised  be  Jesus  Christ."  Needless  to  say  that  all  those  assembled 
were  most  deeply  affected  by  the  sincere  piety  of  the  man,  who 
devoted  the  last  words  he  would  ever  speak  to  the  praise  of  his 
Saviour. 

Let  His  Name  be  Blessed  for  evermore.  His  Name  continueth 
before  the  sun.—Fs.  LXXI,  17. 

THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  HOLY  NAME 

St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna  was  the  instrument  made  use  of  by 
Almighty  God  to  promote  devotion  in  his  day  to  the  Holy  Name. 
In  order  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  people  to  this  devotion  he  had 
a  picture  painted  representing  the  Holy  Name  surrounded  with  rays 
of  glory,  which  he  exposed  for  veneration  after  his  missionary 
sermons  and  by  this  means  propagated  the  devotion.  Later  on, 
Bernardine  de  Bustis  composed  for  the  Franciscan  Fathers  the  office 
of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  which  Pope  Clement  VII.  approved. 
After  this  the  office  and  Mass  of  the  Holy  Name  became  more  and 
more  extended  throughout  the  Church,  till  at  length  Innocent  XIII. 
instituted  the  feast  itself  and  ordered  it  to  be  kept  throughout  the 
whole  Church.  This  is  in  brief  the  history  of  the  institution  of  the 
feast. 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  85 

THE  HOLY  GHOST 

THE  HOLY  GHOST 

We  do  not  know  the  laws  by  which  He  acts.  The  Spirit  breatheth 
where  He  will.  Only  this  law  we  know — that  He  is  ever  with  us 
with  sufficient  light  and  strength  for  all  our  needs.  He  is  called  the 
finger  of  God's  right  hand.  Therefore  it  is  that  He  is  always  leading 
us  gently  and  sweetly  even  though  we  be  unconscious  of  His  influence. 
We  may  seem  at  times  to  be  making  our  own  spiritual  careers,  and 
saving  our  souls  by  methods  which  we  judge  best  and  safest.  But 
as  we  grow  older  we  begin  to  realize  that  it  is  another  who  guides 
us.  We  had  thought  we  were  choosing  Him  when  in  reality  He  was 
choosing  us.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  lived  very  long  in  order  to 
look  back  on  the  past  and  recognize  the  control  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Strangely  enough  we  see  this  when  it  is  all  over,  and  either  can  not, 
or  will  not,  see  it  when  it  is  taking  place.  We  are  like  the  disciples 
who  walked  with  Our  Lord  to  Emmaus.  They  did  not  realize  on  the 
way  to  whom  they  were  talking.  But  when,  at  supper,  He  made 
Himself  known,  then  they  remembered  how  their  hearts  had  burned 
within  them. — Thomas  F.  Gerrard. 

Whosoever  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God. 
— For  yon  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  in  fear ;  but 
yon  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption  of  sons,  whereby  we  cry, 
Abba  (Father). — For  the  Spirit  Himself  giveth  testimony  to  our  spirit 
that  we  are  the  sons  of  God. — Rom.  Will,  14-16. 

/  will  ask  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete, 
that  He  may  abide  zvith  you  for  ever,  the  Spirit  of  Truth. — But  the 
Paraclete,  the  Holy  Ghost,  Whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  Name, 
He  zvill  teach  you  all  things. — John  XIV,  16,  26. 

Know  you  not  that  your  members  are  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghdst,  Who  is  in  you? — Glorify  and  bear  God  in  your  body. 

— I.  Cor.  VI,  19-20. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE    SAINTS;   THE    BLESSED   VIRGIN; 
THE    ANGELS 

THE  VENERATION  OF  THE  SADfTS 

The  Catholic  Church  teaches  that  the  Saints  reigning  with  Christ 
ought  to  be  honoured  by  us,  that  they  intercede  for  us,  and  it  is 
good  for  us  to  ask  their  intercession.  The  Saints  reign  with  Christ. 
He  says  of  them :  'He  that  shall  overcome,  I  will  give  to  sit  upon 
My  throne,  as  I  have  overcome,  and  am  set  down  on  my  Father's 
throne.'  The  Saints  are  honoured  by  God  in  the  highest  degree ;  they 
share  the  glory  of  their  Divine  Master  and  Head.  We  are,  therefore, 
bound  to  honour  them  on  the  principle  laid  down  by  St.  Paul — 
'Honour  to  whom  honour  is  due,'  a  principle  which  is  in  its  nature 
of  universal  application  to  all  intelligent  beings,  according  to  the 
image  of  God  which  is  in  them,  but  especially  in  proportion  to  their 
likeness  to  God,  that  is,  to  their  sanctity.  This  you  will  not  deny. 
There  is  no  principle  on  which  we  should  give  honour  to  great  and 
holy  men  on  earth  which  does  not  apply  in  a  yet  more  eminent  degree 
to  those  truly  great  and  holy  beings  who  reign  with  Christ  in 
Heaven. — IV.  Lockhart. 

THE  VENERATION  OF  SAINTS  DOES  NOT  UrWINISH  THE  HONOUR  GIVEN 
TO  GOD 

By  honouring  the  Saints  who  have  slept  in  the  Lord,  by  invoking 
their  intercession,  and  venerating  their  sacred  relics  and  ashes,  so 
far  is  the  glory  of  God  from  being  diminished,  that  it  is  very  much 
increased,  in  proportion  as  the  hope  of  men  is  thus  more  excited 
and  confirmed,  and  they  are  encouraged  to  the  imitation  of  the 
Saints.  This  office  (of  piety)  is  also  supported  by  the  second  Council 
of  Nice,  the  Councils  of  Gangra,  and  of  Trent;  and  by  the  authority 
of  the  Holy  Fathers. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

ENITNITE  DISTINCTION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  THE  SAINTS 

A  little  reflection  will  enable  any  one  to  see  the  infinite  distinction 
between  God  Who  of  His  own  nature  knows  all  things,  and  is  present 
everywhere;  and  the  Saints  and  angels  who  only  know  much  more 
than  man  knows  upon  earth,  such  knowledge  being  itself  all  derived 
from  God,  and  only  such  as  He  is  pleased  to  reveal  to  them. 

—W.  Lockhart. 

SUPERNATURAL    POWERS   OF    THE    S.\INTS 

Holy  Scripture  informs  us  that  even  on  earth  the  Saints  of  God 
have  exercised  supernatural  powers,  as  we  read  in  the  lives  of  the 
Prophets  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  of  the  Apostles  in  the  New. 
They  declared  future  events  and  occurrences  which  were  taking  place 
at  a  distance  out  of  sight;  they  wrought  miracles  and   raised   the 

36 


THE  SAINTS  37 

dead  to  life;  and  in  attributing  to  them  such  powers  we  are  in  no 
danger  of  forgetting  that  they  were  only  agents  or  instruments. 
So  in  attributing  to  the  Saints  in  Heaven  supernatural  powers,  similar 
to  those  which  have  been  enjoyed  by  some  Saints  on  earth,  are 
we  likely  to  forget  that  they  too  are  only  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  God,  and  receive  all  their  knowledge  and  power  from  Him? 

— IV.  Lockhart. 

THE  SAINTS  PEKFECT  CHRISTIANS 

The  Saints  have  been  given  to  us  not  precisely  that  we  may 
imitate  all  that  they  have  done,  but  as  an  indication  of  the  assistance 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  His  Church,  in  the  bosom  of  which  He  produces 
them  to  be  the  monuments  of  the  power  of  His  grace,  and  the  honour 
of  human  nature  restored  by  redemption.  The  Saints  are  not  simply 
the  elect,  the  just,  who  will  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven;  they 
are  the  Christians  who,  having  practiced  all  the  Christian  virtues  in 
a  heroic  degree,  have  shone  on  earth  as  celestial  torches  of  super- 
natural perfection,  to  serve  them  as  an  encouragement  to  the  practice 
of  their  duties,  as  its  salt  to  preserve  the  masses  from  corruption,  to 
promulgate  in  an  incessant  manner  the  maxims  of  Christian  morality, 
always  exposed  to  danger  from  the  spirit  of  the  world. 

— Dom   Giieranger. 

THE  SAINTS  DESERVING  OF  OUR  GRATITUDE 

Thankful  we  should  be  for  the  Saints  of  earth;  but  we  are  prone 
to  forget  that  the  Saints  are  of  all  times,  of  all  climes  and  of  all 
conditions  of  life.  Or  else,  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  must  surely 
long  since  have  been  unchained  against  our  sinful  race ;  and  in  the 
deluge  of  iniquity  in  which  we  find  ourselves,  there  would  be  left 
none  with  the  heart  to  continue  the  work  of  God.  Only  on  the  last 
day,  when  the  grave  shall  give  up  its  dead  and  the  record  of  all 
lives  shall  be  spread  before  the  gaze  of  mankind,  will  it  be  seen  who 
are  the  Saints,  the  full  many  gems  of  purest  ray  supreme  held  in  the 
vast  unfathomed  depths  of  earth. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE  SAINTS  THE  EXAMPLES  WE  NEED 

The  doctrine  taught  by  Jesus  Christ  is  found  to  be  difficult  and 
exceedingly  distasteful  to  the  natural  man.  Now,  the  Church  v»'ell 
knows  that  it  is  far  easier  for  her  children  to  learn  it  by  example 
than  by  the  solemn  enunciation  of  dry  precept.  The  abstract  truth 
one  may  indeed  admire,  but  it  makes  little  appeal  to  the  sluggish 
will.  We  approve  and  applaud,  and  then  pass  on  our  way,  and  soon 
forget  the  impression  it  has  made.  But,  when  the  same  truth  is 
presented  to  us  in  the  concrete,  it  arrests  our  attention,  and  fills  us 
with  holy  desires.  So  that  when  we  witness  the  conduct  of  holy  men, 
we  are  inclined  to  exclaim,  with  tlie  great  Bishop  of  Hippo,  "Why 
should  not  we  do  as  these  have  done?"  When  we  can  look  upon 
men  and  women  of  the  world,  practicing  heroic  virtue,  and  leading 
noble  and  self-denying  lives,  we  soon  begin  to  realize  that  Sanctity 
is  not  a  blossom  of  another  clime,  but  a  plant  of  earthly  growth,  and 
that,  so  far  from  being  unattainable,  it  may  be  secured  by  anyone 
who  is  thoroughly  determined  to  do  his  best  to  make  it  his  own. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 


38      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE  IDEA  OF  A  SAINT  NOT  REALIZED  BY  PROTESTANTS 

The  reason  why  Protestants  object  to  our  mode  of  honouring 
the  Saints  is,  because  they  have  not  practically  realized  the  idea  of  a 
Saint,  they  have  never  brought  home  to  their  minds  as  a  reality  the 
existence  of  the  Saints,  and  what  their  position  is  at  this  moment 
in  the  courts  of  Heaven.  They  do  not  see  the  relation  in  which  the 
Saints  stand  to  them,  and  hence  they  do  not  feel  that  they  have  any 
duties  towards  them. — W.  Lockhart. 

THE  COJDIUNION  OF  SATNTS 

It  is  wide  in  its  sweep,  this  principle  of  Catholic  teaching;  it 
proclaims  that  there  are  no  walls  of  partition  between  the  souls  of 
the  just  either  this  side  of  the  tomb  or  beyond.  There  is  one  limitless 
kingdom,  one  wonderful  body,  one  kingdom  of  God.  Through  every 
province  of  it.  triumphant,  militant  and  suiTering,  course  life-giving 
currents  of  Divine  grace  and  of  human  sympathy.  Part  is  close 
bound  to  part ;  and  neither  sorrow,  nor  pain,  nor  death  can  dissolve 
the  strong  bond  of  fellowship  which  unites  member  with  member. 
The  Christian  can  never  rejoice,  neither  can  he  ever  suffer,  entirely 
alone.  Whether  he  lives  or  whether  he  dies,  he  is  part  of  Christ's 
Body,  so  to  remain  throughout  eternity. — Joseph  McSorley,  C.S.P. 

DEGREES  OF  GLORY  AMONG  THE  SAINTS 

One  of  the  ancient  Fathers  in  the  desert  had  a  vision  of  Heaven. 
He  saw  there,  as  it  were,  four  different  companies  of  Saints,  placed 
one  above  the  other  in  glory.  The  lowest  group"  was  composed  of 
those  who,  while  on  earth,  had  been  afflicted  with  sickness  and 
bodily  infirmities,  and  had  borne  them  patiently  for  God's  sake.  The 
second  group  consisted  of  those  who  had  spent  their  lives  in  acts 
of  charity  towards  their  neighbour.  In  the  third  group  were  those 
holy  solitaries  who  for  Christ's  sake  had  left  the  world  to  seek  the 
kingdom  of  God  by  a  life  of  prayer  and  penance.  All  these  were 
enjoying  great  happiness  in  God's  holy  presence. 

But  the  fourth  group  was  still  more  glorious;  and  those  who 
composed  it  seemed  to  possess  even  a  greater  happiness  than  the 
others. 

The  solitary  asked  the  angel  who  showed  him  these  things  who 
those  were  wno  formed  that  glorious  company. 

"Those  whom  you  see  so  high  up  and  so  beautiful,"  answered  the 
angel,  "are  those  who,  when  in  the  world,  had  been  obedient.  The 
others  served  God  well,  therefore  they  are  now  enjoying  the  reward 
of  their  fidelity.  But  in  their  good  works  there  was  much  that  was 
agreeable  to  themselves.  But  those  who  were  obedient  renounced 
their  own  will  to  submit  themselves  to  the  will  of  others  whom  God 
had  placed  over  them,  and  for  this  God  has  bestowed  on  thera  a 
higher  degree  of  glory." 

THE  SAINTS  AND  ANGELS  KNOW  WHAT  HAPPENS  ON  EARTH 

Do  the  Saints  and  angels  know  what  goes  on  here  on  earth?  Is 
there,  or  is  there  not,  any  communication  between  this  world  and 
the  world  of  spirits?  Catholics  declare  their  belief  in  this  every 
time  they  say  "I  believe  in  the  Communion  of  Saints."  by  which  we 


THE  SAINTS  89 

mean,  amongst  other  things,  that  we  believe  in  a  real  intercommunion 
and  fellowsiiip  between  the  Church  militant  here  on  earth  and  the 
Church  triumphant  in  Heaven.  We  find  this  expressed  clearly 
enough  in  the  words  of  St,  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews:  "We 
are  come,"  says  the  Apostle,  "to  a  great  company  .  .  .  the 
Church  of  the  first  born,  who  are  written  in  the  heavens.  We  are 
compassed  about  with  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses.  Many  thousands 
of  angels  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  Here  we  are 
clearly  told,  that  we,  the  children  of  the  Church  upon  earth,  are 
already  come  to  the  City  of  the  Living  God,  the  Heavenly  Jerusalem, 
and  to  the  company  of  many  thousands  of  angels  and  the  spirits 
of  the  just,  that  we  have  all  this  great  cloud  of  witnesses  around 
us.  Who  then  can  speak  of  the  honour  we  pay  to  the  Saints  and 
angels  as  if  it  were  given  to  dead  men  and  beings  far  removed  from 
all  concern  with  earth  and  its  inhabitants? — W.  Lockhart, 

HOW    CAN    THE    SAINTS    HEAR    OCR    PRATERSt 

The  Saints  are  not  omnipresent,  but  God  is,  and  they  behold  our 
prayers  in  God  as  in  a  mirror,  for  they  incessantly  enjoy  the  vision 
of  God.  They  are  in  spiritual  union  with  God  and  realize  everything 
that  "God  communicates  to  them.  That  God  wills  the  inhabitants  of 
Heaven  to  have  knowledge  of  the  things  on  earth,  follows  from  the 
words  of  Christ:  "There  is  more  rejoicing  in  Heaven  over  one  sinner 
who  does  penance  than  over  ninety-nine  who  need  not  penance." 

THE  INTERCESSION  OF  THE  SAINTS 

In  Holy  Scripture  we  have  several  cases  exactly  in  point ;  the 
friends  of  Job  were  told  by  God  Himself  to  go  and  ask  Job  to  pray 
for  them,  for  He  would  not  accept  their  prayers  except  at  Job's 
intercession.  Abimelech  received  a  revelation  from  God  in  a  vision, 
telling  him  to  go  and  get  Abraham  to  pray  for  him.  Aaron  offered 
incense  at  God's  command  and  interceded  for  the  people.  The 
Saints  reigning  with  Christ  offer  up  their  prayers  to  God  for  men ; 
it  is  good  and  profitable  suppliantly  to  invoke  them,  and  to  have 
recourse  to  their  prayers  and  assistance,  in  order  to  obtain  favours 
from  God  through  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord,  who  is  our  only 
Redeemer  and  Saviour. — Council  of  Trent. 

The  revelation  of  God  assures  us  that  the  same  law  holds  in 
things  Divine  as  in  things  human.  If  I  desire  a  favour  of  a  man, 
I  may  ask  him  directly,  or  indirectly  through  his  wife  or  a  personal 
friend.  The  request  ultimately  must  come  to  him.  So  it  is  in  the 
supernatural  life.  I  may  always  pray  to  God  through  His  only  Son, 
or  feeling  a  sense  of  God's  majesty  and  my  own  unworthiness,  I  may 
pray  the  Saints  to  plead  my  case  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The 
Saints  no  more  interfere  with  our  access  to  Christ  than  the  pipe 
which  carries  the  water  from  the  reservoir  prevents  that  water  from 
entering  our  houses.  They  are  links  in  the  great  chain  of  the 
Christian  fellowship,  uniting  us  one  with  the  other  in  the  bond  of 
Divine  love. — Bcrtrand  L.  Conway,  C.S.P. 


40      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE  LORD'S  TKAYER  AN  INTERCESSORY  PRATER 

If  you  deny  intercessor}'  prayer  let  me  beg  you  never  to  use  the 
Lord's  Prayer  again, — for  from  first  to  last  it  is  intercessory  prayer, 
and  never  again  pray  for  wife,  or  child,  or  ask  another  to  pray  for 
you.  To  do  so  is  to  make  yourself,  or  another,  a  mediator  with  God, 
exactly  in  the  sense  in  which  we  make  the  Saints  mediators,  neither 
more  nor  less. — IV.  Lockhart. 

A  SAINT'S  rORTITlDE 

Blessed  John  Fisher  was  condemned  to  die  because  he  would  not 
deny  his  Faith,  and  would  not  yield  to  the  iniquitous  desires  of  an 
ambitious  king.  As  he  was  advanced  in  age  and  weak  from  the 
sufferings  he  had  endured,  he  leant  upon  his  staff  as  he  was  led  to 
the  place  of  his  death.  But  when  he  reached  the  scaffold  he  threw 
away  the  staff,  saying:  "Take  courage,  my  feet,  you  have  not  much 
more  to  do;  a  few  steps  more,  and  you  will  bring  me  into  the  house 
of  my  God,  where  my  sufferings  shall  be  changed  into  joy." 

MIRACLES     OF     SAINTS     RECORDED     IN     THE     BIBLE     -VXD     IN     EARLY 
WRITINGS 

One  of  the  most  famous  and  most  highly  esteemed  of  the  Saints 
in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era  was  St.  Paul.  He  was 
consequently  greatly  beloved  and  most  highly  esteemed  by  the  faithful. 
Knowing  him  to  be  a  great  Apostle  and  a  great  Saint,  they  not  only 
asked  his  prayers,  and  sought  his  blessing,  but  they  showed  a 
reverence  for  everything  that  belonged  to  him,  or  that  had  even 
touched  him  or  been  connected  with  him.  And  they  sought  favours 
and  graces  both  for  body  and  for  soul  by  the  reverent  use  of  these 
purely  material  objects.  "So  that,"  as  we  are  expressly  informed  by 
St.  Luke  (Acts  xix.),  "they  brought  handkerchiefs  and  aprons  from 
his  body  to  the  sick"  and  the  feeble.  And  for  what  purpose?  Well, 
what  possible  purpose  could  a  handkerchief  or  an  apron,  a  remnant 
of  simple  linen  or  cloth,  serve?  Unless  there  be  some  hidden  virtue 
in  it  arising  from  its  connection  with  the  Saint;  unless,  in  other  words, 
it  is  to  be  considered  as  a  relic,  we  should  reply :  None.  As  St.  Luke 
clearly  infers,  its  efficacy  was  wholly  supernatural.  He  tells  us  how 
these  objects  were  applied  to  the  sick,  and  how,  as  a  consequence, 
"the  diseases  departed  from  them  and  the  wicked  spirits  went  out  of 
them."  (Acts  xix,  12). — Bishop  John  S.  Vaiighan. 

In  the  city  of  Uzales,  in  Africa,  there  lived  a  man  whose  name 
was  Concordius.  One  day,  by  a  fall,  his  leg  was  broken,  and  from 
that  time  forward  he  was  not  able  to  walk  without  using  a  crutch. 
Hearing  of  the  wonders  that  were  wrought  by  the  relics  of  St. 
Stephen,  he  dragged  himself  to  a  church  where  part  of  these  relics 
was  preserved.  There  he  prayed  with  great  devotion.  Suddenly  in 
the  midst  of  his  prayers  he  felt  his  leg  healed,  and,  rising  up,  he  was 
able  to  walk  without  the  help  of  his  crutch.  In  thanksgiving  to  the 
Saint  for  his  cure,  he  caused  a  number  of  candles  to  be  lighted  before 
the  shrine,  and,  going  out,  published  everywhere  the  wonderful  works 
of  God  in  His  Saints. — St.  Augustine. 


THE  SAINTS  41 

It  is  related  of  St.  Francis  Solanus,  the  Saint  of  South  America, 
that  through  his  means  a  poor  woman  was  cured  of  an  issue  of  blood. 
There  was  an  Indian  settlement  in  Sokotonio,  Peru,  and  the  drinking 
water  ran  dry.  St.  Francis  feared  that  if  the  Indians  changed  the 
location  of  the  settlement  that  they  would  lose  their  religious  faith, 
which  as  yet  was  not  strong.  He  prayed  as  only  a  Saint  can  pray 
and  sweet  water  gushed  from  the  green  earth.  Even  in  the  present 
day,  the  Spaniards  and  Indians  call  the  spot  the  "Well  of  St.  Solanus." 

ST,   JOSKPH,  THE  PATRON   OF  THE  DYING 

A  missionary  in  South  Africa  having  lost  his  way  came  to  the 
house  of  a  Protestant,  and  made  himself  known  as  a  Catholic  priest. 
The  Protestant  said  to  him:  "You  have  come  just  in  time;  one  of 
my  workmen,  a  Catholic,  is  at  the  point  of  death."  The  priest  went 
at  once  to  visit  the  dying  man.  On  seeing  the  priest  he  said:  "Thanks 
be  to  God.  I  knew  that  St.  Joseph  would  send  me  a  priest  to  prepare 
me  for  death."  He  told  the  priest  that,  when  he  was  a  boy,  his 
mother  had  taught  him  to  pray  every  day  to  St.  Joseph,  saying: 
"St.  Joseph,  obtain  for  me  a  holy  death."  When  he  became  a  soldier 
and  had  to  go  to  South  Africa,  his  mother  again  admonished  him 
never  to  omit  saying  that  prayer  daily  to  St.  Joseph.  This  he 
promised  and  faithfully  kept  his  promise.  When  he  took  sick  the 
nearest  priest  lived  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away,  and  even  if 
sent  for  could  not  have  arrived  in  time  to  prepare  him  for  death. 
But  St.  Joseph  sent  the  missionary  to  the  place  where  his  client  was 
dying,  in  order  to  prepare  him  for  a  good  death  by  administering  to 
him  the  last  Sacraments. — F.  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

PICTURES  OF  THE  SAINTS 

The  custom  of  treasuring  the  pictures  of  those  dear  to  us  is  so 
general  and  natural  that  the  Catholic  custom  of  keeping  images  of 
Saints  should  not  need  any  explanation.  Since  the  world  dedicates 
with  great  solemnity  statues  to  its  heroes  and  scholars,  and  offers 
honour  to  these  statues,  what  is  more  natural  than  that  we  should 
show  honour  to  the  statues  of  Saints  who  are  greater  heroes  than 
worldly  eft'ort  ever  produced.  Men  have  been  put  to  death  for 
trampling  on  their  country's  flag.  To  the  mother  a  picture  of  her 
dead  child  in  sacred;  but,  certainly  it  is  not  the  flag  or  picture  that 
are  held  sacred,  but  what  they  represent,  and  this  of  course  is  also 
the  case  with  the  statues  and  images  of  Saints.  The  statues  and 
images  of  Saints  are  intended  to  make  it  easy  for  us  to  devote  our 
thoughts  to  them.  Even  in  the  case  of  our  earthly  acquaintances  we 
cannot  give  earnest  thought  to  them  without  picturing  them  to 
ourselves  in  our  mind.  Without  pictures  and  statues,  a  great  induce- 
ment to  prayer  would  be  lacking.  Our  custom  of  venerating  the 
relics  of  Saints  is  not  different  from  the  custom  of  the  world  to 
venerate  the  relics  of  great  men  that  may  be  seen  in  every  museum. 
It  would  be  ridiculous  to  say  that  in  the  honour  shown  to  the  inkstand 
of  some  great  poet,  for  instance,  there  is  adoration,  or  idol  worship, 
and  it  is  just  as  ridiculous  to  say  this  of  our  veneration  of  relics 
of  the  Saints. 


42      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

EFFIGLES  A>T>   IMAGES  MADE   BY   THE   COMMAND   OF  GOD 

We  read  in  the  Scriptures  that  eHigies  and  imnges  were  made,  by 
the  command  of  God,  of  Cherubim,  of  the  brazen  serpent  (Num.  xxi, 
8,  sq.).  It  remains,  therefore,  that  we  interpret  images  to  have 
been  forbidden  only  inasmuch  as  they  might  be  the  cause  of  detracting 
from  the  true  worship  of  God,  as  though  they  were  to  be  adored 
as  gods. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE   VENERATION   AND   EFFICACY   OF  RELICS 

Whom  would  not  the  wonders  wrought  at  their  tombs  convince 
of  t!ie  honour  which  is  due  to  the  Saints,  and  of  the  "patronage"  of 
us  which  they  undertake?  the  blind,  and  the  paralyzed  restored  to 
their  pristine  state,  the  dead  recalled  to  life,  and  demons  expelled 
from  the  bodies  of  men !  facts  which  St.  Ambrose,  and  St.  Augustine, 
most  unexceptionable  witnesses,  declare  in  their  writings,  not  to 
have  heard,  not  to  have  read,  but  to  have  seen.  But  why  multiply 
proofs?  if  the  clothes,  the  kerchiefs  (Acts  xix,  12),  if  the  shadow 
of  the  Saints  (Acts  v,  15),  before  they  departed  life,  banished 
diseases  and  restored  strength,  who  will  have  the  hardihood  to  deny 
that  God  wonderfully  works  the  same  by  the  sacred  ashes,  the  bones, 
and  other  relics  of  the  Saints?  This  did  that  body  proclaim,  which, 
having  been  accidentally  let  down  into  the  sepulchre  of  Eliseus, 
"when  it  had  touched  the  bones"  of  the  Prophet,  instantly  "came  to 
life"  (4  Kings  xiii,  21;  Eccli,  xlviii,  14,  sq.). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

VENERATION   OF  RELICS  AND   IMAGES 

When  we  honour  or  venerate  relics  and  images,  we  do  so,  not  for 
their  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  persons  whose  relics  or 
images  they  are.  To  accuse  us  of  the  contrary  is  gross  calumny. 
But  there  is  something  peculiar  about  images,  in  that  they  represent, 
J.  e.,  make  present  to  us,  or  stand  for,  the  person  of  their  original. 
It  is  not  the  material  image  we  honour  or  worship,  the  marble,  or 
canvas,  or  colour;  it  is  the  person  in  the  image.  The  same  is  true  of 
symbols.  Who  does  not  know  of  the  military  custom  of  saluting  the 
flag?  The  flag  stands  for  the  country.  Could  anyone  be  so  silly  as 
to  fancy  that  it  is  the  country  itself  which  flutters  in  the  breeze? 
Yet  when  the  flag  is  honoured  it  is  deemed,  and  justly,  that  the  country 
is  honoured ;  and  conversely.  Tell  me,  then,  what  is  meant  by  burning 
bishops,  or  popes  in  effigy  f  .  .  .  How  is  it  childish  to  honour  an 
image,  if  it  is  not  childish  to  dishonour  it? — Cardinal  Nezuman. 

AN    ATHEIST    ON    OUR    VENERATION    OF   PICTURES   AND    STATUES 

Elbert  Hubbard  (Non-Cath.)  had  a  word  to  say  in  rebuke  to 
those  who  misinterpret  our  reverence  for  representations  of  the 
friends  of  God.  He  declared  that  the  attitude  of  English  Parliament 
on  the  question  of  paganism  (in  refusing,  in  18 15,  to  pay  for  the 
Elgin  Marbles  because  "these  relics  will  tend  to  prostitute  England 
to  the  depth  of  unbelief  that  engulfed  pagan  Greece")  "finds  voice 
occasionally  even  yet  by  Protestant  England,  making  darkness  dense 
with  the  asseveration  that  Catholics  idolatrously  worship  the  pictures 
and  statues  in  their  churches."     {Little  Journeys:  Raphael.) 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  43 

A  PROTESTANT  ON   THE   USE   OF  KELIGIOUS   PICTURES 

To  the  Church  a  picture  was  only  a  reminder  of  the  devotion 
due,  and  the  means  of  fixing  the  attention  of  the  worshipper  on  the 
subject  of  his  adoration — any  contemplation  of  the  refinements  of 
the  artist  would  cause  distractions  that  were  not  favourable  to  reli|E^ious 
concentration — VV.  J.  Stillman  (Non-Cath.),  in  The  Century  Maga- 
zine, August.  1890. 


THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN 

THE  MOTHER  OF  THE  LIVING  GOD 

If  Mary  is  the  Mother  of  God,  if  she  gave  birth  to  Him,  of  whom 
St.  Paul  speaks  when  he  says:  "The  Church  of  the  Living  God,  which 
He  (the  living  God)  has  purchased  with  His  Own  Blood";  if  it  was 
the  "Blood  of  the  Living  God"  by  whom  we  were  redeemed,  it  is  as 
strictly  true  that  Mary  is  Mother  of  the  "Living  God." 

H  she  is  the  Mother  of  God,  she  is  worthy  of  Her  office,  since 
God  does  nothing  unworthy  of  Himself;  but  nothing  can  fit  a  creature 
for  any  office  in  relation  to  God  but  holiness.  Of  His  material 
Temple,  but  still  more  directly  of  His  living  Temple,  it  was  said 
"Holiness  becometh  Thy  House  for  ever."  Mary's  holiness,  therefore, 
must  be  in  proportion  to  her  exaltation  to  that  most  sublime  dignity, 
and  as  God's  Mother  it  is  her  fitness  to  hold  that  dignity.  Therefore, 
it  is  the  greatest  holiness  existing  in  creatures.  But  if  Mary  is  holy, 
she  has  the  power  of  holiness ;  and  the  power  of  holiness  is  the  power 
of  prayer,  and  as  there  is  no  holiness  like  her's  so  there  is  no  power 
of  prayer  like  to  her's — VV.  Lockhart. 

Behold,  a  Virgin  shall  conceive,  and  bear  a  Son,  and  His  Name 
shall  be  called  Emmanuel. — Is.  VH,  14. 

BIABT,  THE  REAL  MOTHER  OF  GOD 

It  has  been  held  from  the  first,  and  defined  from  an  early  age, 
that  Mary  is  the  Mother  of  God.  She  is  not  merely  the  Mother  of 
our  Lord's  manhood,  or  of  our  Lord's  Body,  but  she  is  to  be  considered 
the  Mother  of  the  Word  Himself,  the  Word  incarnate.  God,  in  the 
person  of  the  Word,  the  Second  Person  of  the  All  glorious  Trinity, 
humbled  Himself  to  become  her  Son.  "Non  horruisti  Virginis 
uteriim,"  as  the  Church  sings,  "Thou  didst  not  disdain  the  Virgin's 
womb."  He  took  the  substance  of  His  human  flesh  from  her,  and 
clothed  in  it  He  lay  within  her;  and  He  bore  it  about  with  Him  after 
birth,  as  a  sort  of  badge  and  witness  that  He,  though  God,  was  hers. 
He  was  nursed  and  tended  by  her;  He  was  suckled  by  her;  He  lay 
in  her  arms.  As  time  went  on.  He  ministered  to  her,  and  obeyed  her. 
He  lived  with  her  for  thirty  years,  in  one  house,  with  an  uninter- 
rupted intercourse,  and  with  only  the  saintly  Joseph  to  share  it  with 
them.  She  was  the  witness  of  His  growth,  of  His  joys,  of  His 
sorrows,  of  His  prayers;  she  was  blest  with  His  smile,  with  the 
touch  of  His  hand,  with  the  whisper  of  His  affection,  with  the 
expression  of  His  thoughts  and  His  feelings  for  that  length  of  time. 


U     ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Now,  my  brethren,  what  ought  she  to  be,  what  is  it  becoming  that 
she  should  be,  who  was  so  favoured? — Cardinal  Newman. 

But  ivhile  he  thought  on  these  things,  behold  the  Angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  to  him  in  his  sleep,  saying:  Joseph,  son  of  David, 
fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  ivife,  for  that  whieh  is  conceived 
in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — Matt.  I,  20. 

It  cavie  to  pass  that  when  they  were  there,  her  days  were  accom- 
plished that  she  should  he  dcl.vered. — And  she  brought  forth  her 
First-born  Son,  and  zvrapped  Him  up  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid 
Him  in  a  manger. — Luke    II,  6. 

CHRIST'S   CHOICE   OF   A   MOTHER 

Jesus  Christ  was  not  as  other  sons,  who  are  incapable  of  selecting 
their  own  mothers.  The  ordinary  child,  about  to  be  born,  has  no 
voice  in  the  matter.  But  Christ  was  God,  the  Second  Person  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity.  It  rested  with  Him,  therefore,  and  wholly  and 
solely  with  Him,  to  choose  among  all  women  the  most  worthy  and 
the  most  fitting  for  the  purpose.  His  choice  lay  among  all  the 
members  of  the  human  race,  future  as  well  as  present,  and  merely 
possible  as  well  as  actual.  The  honour  He  was  about  to  confer  was 
unique,  unparalleled,  sublime,  and  in  a  sense,  infinite.  On  whom 
would  He  confer  it?  Would  He  choose  for  His  mother  a  sinner, 
when  He  might  as  easily  have  a  saint  ?  Would  He  choose  a  slave, 
when  He  might  have  a  queen?  Would  He  choose  one  stained  and 
tarnished  when  He  might  have  one  pure  and  immaculate?  Impos- 
sible ! — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

BY  LIVING  WITH  JESUS  MARY  CAME  TO  REFLECT  HIS  SANCTITY 

Do  we  ask  how  she  came  to  reflect  His  sanctity?  It  was  by  living 
with  Him.  We  see  every  day  how  like  people  get  to  each  other 
who  live  with  those  they  love.  When  they  live  with  those  they  don't 
love,  as,  for  instance,  the  members  of  a  family  who  quarrel  with 
each  other,  then  the  longer  they  live  together  the  more  unlike  each 
other  they  become ;  but  when  they  love  each  other,  as  husband  and 
wife,  parents  and  children,  brothers  with  brothers  or  sisters,  friends 
with  friends,  then  in  course  of  time  they  get  surprisingly  like  each 
other. — Cardinal  Newman, 

MARY,  A  SECOND  EVE 

The  Apostle  sometimes  calls  Christ  Jesus  "the  last  Adam"  (i 
Cor.  XV,  45,  sqq;  Rom.  v,  12),  and  institutes  a  comparison  between 
Him  and  the  first;  for  as  in  the  first  all  men  die,  so  in  the  second 
all  are  "made  alive"  (Eccl.  xxv,  33;  Gen.  ii)  ;  and  as,  in  the  natural 
order,  Adam  was  the  father  of  the  human  race,  so  Christ  is  the 
author  of  grace  and  glory.  The  Virgin  Mother  we  may  also  in 
like  manner  compare  with  Eve;  making  the  second  Eve,  that  is 
Mary,  correspond  with  the  first,  as  we  have  shown  the  second 
Adam,  that  is  Christ,  to  correspond  with  the  first  Adam.  For  Eve, 
believing  the  serpent  entailed  malediction  and  death  on  the  human 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  45 

race  (Eph.  ii,  3) ;  and,  after  Mary  believed  the  angel,  the  Divine 
goodness  made  her  instrumental  in  bringing  benediction  and  life  to 
men.  From  Eve  we  are  born  "children  of  wrath"  (Gen.  iii,  16); 
from  Mary  we  have  received  Jesus  Christ,  through  whom  we  arc 
regenerated  children  of  grace.  To  Eve  it  was  said :  "  In  sorrow 
shalt  thou  bring  forth  children"  (Gen.  iii,  16):  Mary  was  exempt 
from  this  law,  lor,  preserving  inviokte  the  integrity  of  her  virginal 
chastity,  she  brought  forth  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  without,  as  we 
have  already  said,  any  sense  of  pain. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

I  zinll  put  enmities  hetzueen  thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy  seed 
and  her  seed:  she  shall  crush  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  lie  in  wait 
for  her  heel. — Gen.  Ill,  15. 

THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

That  Jesus  Christ  was,  in  a  manner  altogether  supernatural, 
"conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  is 
something  which  every  thinking  Christian  believes,  and  professes 
when  he  recites  the  Creed,  This  is  the  Virgin  Birth.  To  breathe 
such  a  thing  as  stain  in  connection  with  the  coming  into  the  world 
of  the  Son  of  God,  is  a  sacrilege  that  amounts  to  a  categorical  denial 
of  His  Divinity.  Mary's  part  in  that  mystery  was  that  of  a  woman 
chosen  to  be  a  vessel  containing  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  in  this  mystery 
she  becomes  the  mother  of  God.  But  between  Mary  conceiving  her 
Son,  and  Mary  being  herself  conceived,  there  is  a  whole  world  of 
difference.  It  is  to  this  latter  fact,  the  mystery  of  her  being  conceived 
immaculately  in  the  womb  of  her  mother  St.  Ann,  that  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception  refers.  A  whole  generation  separated  these  two 
mysteries  in  point  of  time ;  eternity  alone  can  measure  the  quality 
that  differentiates  them  in  point  of  dignity. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

No  defiled  thing  comet h  unto  her.  For  she  is  the  brightness  of 
Eternal  Light  and  the  unspotted  mirror  of  God's  Majesty,  and  the 
image  of  His  goodness. — IVisd.  VII,  25-26.  (See  Gradual  for  Feast 
of  the  Most  Pure  Heart  of  Mary.) 

The  conception  of  Mary  Immaculate  did  not  exclude  all  human 
agency,  all  natural  operation,  as  did  that  of  her  Divine  Son.  Mary's 
parents  were  truly  parents  to  her  in  the  obvious  meaning  of  the 
word.  Nor  may  we  pretend  that  the  grace  she  enjoyed  was  any 
more  than  an  exemption,  made  in  view  of  a  future  dignity  that 
precluded  the  very  thought  of  sin,  altogether  undue,  unessential  to 
her  nature.  It  was  a  pure  gift,  raising  her  higher  than  all  other 
creatures,  but  leaving  her  nevertheless  a  pure  creature  with  an 
engrafted  endowment,  "an  unfallen  child  of  Adam."  Nearer  to  God 
than  any  of  us,  she  is  as  far  from  being  Divine  as  the  least  of  us. 
She  needed  redemption  like  all  of  us ;  but  whereas  redemption  is 
applied  to  us  by  means  of  Baptism,  it  was  supplied  to  her  by  anticipa- 
tion, at  the  moment  that  she  began  to  exist. — John  H.  Stapleton. 


4C      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  [NSTRUCTIONS 

THE    IMMACULATE    CONCEPTION    OF    SIABY    AND    THE    8ANCTIFICATION 
OF  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST 

There  was  one  great  approach  to  this  singular  privilege  of  Mary. 
We  are  told  that  St.  John  the  Baptist  was  sanctified  before  his 
birth,  at  the  meeting  between  St.  Elizabeth  and  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Such  sanctification  is  as  solitarj-  as  that  of  Mary;  but  it  is  wide 
asunder  from  it.  Mary's  soul  was  created  full  of  grace,  an  object  of 
love  to  God,  St.  John's  as  that  of  a  fallen  parent's  child,  blasted  by 
his  folly;  Mary's  soul  received  sanctifying  grace  with  its  existence, 
St.  John's  was  without  it  till  Mary  came  over  the  hills  of  Judaea  to 
visit  his  saintly  mother.  Mary's  soul  began  to  exist  full  of  grace, 
she  was  immaculate  at  her  conception;  St.  John's  began  to  exist 
devoid  of  grace,  but  received  it  before  birth,  through  a  special  gift 
of  God. — P.  Sexton. 

THE  EXALTATION  OF  IHARY  NECESSITATED  BY  HER  OFFICE 

A  mother  without  a  home  in  the  Church,  without  dignity,  without 
gifts,  would  have  been,  as  far  as  the  defence  of  the  Incarnation  goes, 
no  mother  at  all.  She  would  not  have  remained  in  the  memory,  or 
the  imagination  of  men.  If  she  is  to  witness  and  remind  the  world 
that  God  became  man,  she  must  be  on  a  high  and  eminent  station 
for  the  purpose.  She  must  be  made  to  fill  the  mind,  in  order  to 
suggest  the  lesson.  When  she  once  attracts  our  attention,  then, 
and  not  till  then,  she  begins  to  preach  Jesus.  "  Why  should  she  have 
such  prerogatives,"  we  ask,  "unless  He  be  God?  and  what  must 
He  be  by  nature,  when  she  is  so  high  by  grace?"  This  is  why  she 
has  other  prerogatives  besides,  namely,  the  gifts  of  personal  purity 
and  intercessory  power,  distinct  from  her  maternity ;  she  is  personally 
endowed  that  she  may  perform  her  office  well ;  she  is  exalted  in 
herself  that  she  may  minister  to  Christ. — Cardinal  Newman. 

Blessed  art  thou,  O  daughter,  by  the  Lord  the  Most  High  God, 
above  all  women  of  the  earth. — Judith  XIII,  23. 

/  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  and  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in 
my  God;  for  He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation; 
and  with  the  robe  of  justice  He  hath  covered  vie,  and  as  a  bride 
adorned  with  her  jewels. — Is.  LXI,  10. 

Thou  art  the  glory  of  Jerusalem,  thou  art  the  joy  of  Israel,  thou 
art  the  honour  of  our  people. — Judith  XV,  10. 

Thou  art  beautiful,  O  My  love,  sweet  and  comely  as  Jerusalem : 
terrible  as  an  army  set  in  array. — Cant.  VI,  3. 

Mary  hath  chosen  the  best  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  from 
her. — Luke  X,  42.      (See  Gospel  for  Feast  of  the  Assumption.) 

JESUS  AND  MARY  CANNOT  BE  SEPARATED 

The  two,  Jesus  and  Mary,  cannot  and  must  not  be  separated. 
Together  they  were  from  all  eternity  in  God's  plan  of  the  redemption 
of   mankind;    together    we    find    tliem    in    the    stable    at    Bethlehem; 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  47 

together  we  find  them  in  sorrow  on  Calvary;  together  we  find  them 
in  glory  in  Heaven ;  together  we  find  them  in  the  history  of  the 
Church,  in  the  liturgy  of  the  Church  and  in  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  the  Church.  The  Infant  Jesus  without  Mary  is  a  King 
without  a  throne,  and  Mary  without  the  Child  is  a  queen  without 
a  crown. — C.  M.  Thuentc,  0.  P. 

Mother !  whose  virgin  bosom  was  uncrost 
With  the  least  shade  of  thought  to  sin  allied; 
Woman  !  above  all  women  glorified. 
Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast; 
Purer  than  foam  on  central  ocean  tost. 

— Wordsworth. 

TWO    ALTARS    ON    MT.    CALVARY 

"Ah,"  cries  a  Saint,  "I  see  two  altars  upon  Mount  Calvary !  One 
in  the  heart  of  Mary,  one  in  the  flesh  of  Christ.  Christ  is  offering 
up  His  flesh,  Mary  is  offering  up  her  soul.  For  she  desires  indeed 
to  add  her  own  blood  to  the  Blood  of  her  Son,  and  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  to  consummate  the  mystery  of  our  redemption  by  the  death 
of  her  body ;  but  that  is  alone  the  privilege  of  our  great  High  Priest, 
that  with  blood  He  should  enter  into  the  Holy  of  Holies." 

— Bcde  Camm,  O.S.B. 

THE  WORD  "WOMAN"  EXPLAINED  BY  PROTESTANT  SCHOLARS 

Setting  aside  all  Catholic  authorities,  who  may  be  thought  to  be 
prejudiced,  let  us  turn  to  the  reliable  and  very  well  known  Greek 
dictionary  by  the  two  Protestant  scholars  Liddell  and  Scott,  and 
we  shall  find,  on  such  unimpeachable  authority,  that  "gunai"  means 
"lady,"  and  further  that  it  is  not  a  term  of  reproach,  but  "a  term  of 
respect."  The  distinguished  Protestant  scholar,  Dr.  Westcott,  writes: 
"In  the  word  'woman,'  as  employed  in  the  Greek,  there  is  not  the 
slighest  tinge  of  reproof  or  of  severity.  The  address  is  that  of 
courteous  respect,  even  of  tenderness."  Hence  when  Our  Lord  at 
the  wedding  feast  of  Cana  addressed  His  blessed  mother  as  "woman," 
He  used  a  term  of  respect. 

If  this  is  not  proof  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  scrupulous  Protes- 
tant, perhaps  he  may  be  convinced  by  the  yet  more  explicit  words 
of  the  well-known  Richard  Whately,  the  Protestant  archbishop  of 
Dublin.  In  a  published  sermon  (Sermons  on  Various  Subjects; 
sermon  ix,  p.  226)  this  Anglican  divine  writes  of  Our  Blessed  Lady, 
on  the  memorable  occasion  of  the  marriage  feast,  as  follows:  "She 
applied  to  Him,  when  the  wine  was  deficient.  His  answer  has  not 
that  roughness,  indeed,  which  our  English  translation  gives  it,  from 
the  use  of  the  term  'woman.'  The  word"  (he  goes  on  to  explain), 
''in  the  original,  is  one  which  denotes  no  disrespect,  being  found 
in  the  classical  Greek  writers  applied  even  to  a  queen."  Thus  we 
see  that  even  a  Protestant  archbishop,  because  he  is  a  scholar  and 
z  learned  man,  openly  admits  that  the  word,  so  far  from  denoting 
dishonour,  is  commonly  applied  to  the  highest  ladies  of  the  land, 
even  to  queens,  and  this,  too.  bv  the  best  classical  writers. 


48      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

MART  GEIE^'ED  BY  SIN 

The  grief  of  Mary,  at  the  sight  of  her  only  Son  crucified,  wai 
le&s  than  that  caused  her  by  seeing  a  man  offend  Him  by  sin. 

— St.  Ignatius. 

aiAKY   THE   EXAJIPLK   FOR  ALL   STATES  OF   LIFE 

God  willed  that  Mary  went  through  all  states  of  life  so  that  all 
states  of  life  might  have  in  her  an  example  to  live  according  to 
God's  will. — St.  Theresa. 

TMARY  OUR  MODEL 

Our  exceptional  love  for  Mary  springs  from  many  sources.  But 
we  love  her  more  than  all  other  mere  creatures,  chiefly  because  God 
has  commanded  us  to  follow  Him  and  to  walk  in  His  footsteps; 
"Learn  of  Me,"  "I  am  the  way,"  etc.  And  He  Himself,  our  model, 
loved  her  more  than  all. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

MARY  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  CHURCH 

Take  Mary  out  of  the  Church  and  what  is  left  but  darkness ! 

— St.  Thomas  of  Villanova. 

THE  DEATH   OF  MARY 

It  became  Him,  who  died  for  the  world  to  die  in  the  world's  sight ; 
it  became  the  Great  Sacrifice  to  be  lifted  up  on  high,  as  a  light  that 
could  not  be  hid.  But  she,  the  Lily  of  Eden,  who  had  always  dwelt 
out  of  the  sight  of  man,  fittingly  did  she  die  in  the  garden's  shade, 
and  amid  the  sweet  flowers,  in  which  she  had  lived.  Her  departure 
made  no  noise  in  the  world.  The  Church  went  about  her  common 
duties,  preaching,  converting,  suffering,  there  were  persecutions,  there 
was  fleeing  from  place  to  place,  there  were  martyrs,  there  were 
triumphs;  at  length  the  rumour  spread  abroad  that  the  Mother  of 
God  was  no  longer  upon  earth.  Pilgrims  went  to  and  fro ;  they 
sought  for  her  relics ;  but  they  found  them  not ;  did  she  die  at 
Ephesus?  or  did  she  die  at  Jerusalem?  reports  varied;  but  her  tomb 
could  not  be  pointed  out,  or  if  it  was  found,  it  was  open;  and  instead 
of  her  pure  and  fragrant  body,  there  was  a  growth  of  lilies  from 
the  earth  which  she  had  touched.  So  inquirers  went  home  marvelling, 
and  waiting  for  further  light.  And  then  it  was  said,  how  that  when 
her  dissolution  was  at  hand,  and  her  soul  was  to  pass  in  triumph 
before  the  judgment-seat  of  her  Son,  the  Apostles  were  suddenly 
gathered  together  in  the  place,  even  in  the  Holy  City,  to  bear  part 
in  the  joyful  ceremonial;  how  that  they  buried  her  with  fitting  rites; 
how  that  the  third  day,  when  they  came  to  the  tomb,  they  found  it 
empty,  and  angelic  choirs  with  their  glad  voices  were  heard  singing 
day  and  night  the  glories  of  their  risen  Queen.  But.  however  we 
feel  towards  the  details  of  this  history  (nor  is  there  anything  in  it 
which  will  be  unwelcome  or  difficult  to  piety),  so  much  cannot  be 
doubted,  from  the  consent  of  the  whole  Catholic  world  and  the 
revelations  made  to  holy  souls,  that,  as  is  befitting,  she  is,  soul  and 
body,  with  her  Son  and  God  in  Heaven,  and  that  we  arc  enabled  to 
celebrate,  not  only  her  death,  but  her  Assumption. 

— Cardinal  Nfzvman. 

Most  undoubtedly  she  passed  through  the  gates  of  death  into  Ufa 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  49 

eternal.  This  is  the  universal  belief  of  the  Church.  Not  that  she 
merited  death,  since  the  law  of  death,  as  revealed  in  the  inspired 
pages,  is  the  punishment  of  those  only  who  have  been  guilty  of  sin, 
and  as  Mary  was  exempt  from  original  sin,  as  well  as  from  all  actual 
sin,  therefore  was  she  also  exempt  from  its  penalty.  Nor  can  it  be 
urged  that  death  must  ensue  in  consequence  of  her  human  nature, 
for,  in  her  case,  the  claim  of  nature  is  superseded  by  a  supernatural 
claim  to  immortality;  which  would  have  been  true  even  of  Adam  and 
Eve,  had  they  not  sinned,  and  therefore,  much  more  so  in  the  case  of 
Marv.  On  the  other  hand,  IMary  is  the  mother  of  ITim,  who  died  for 
us,  so  that  it  was  becoming  and  fitting  that  she  should  die  also,  and 
for  two  reasons,  firstly,  lest  she  and  her  Son's  nature's  should  be 
thought  unreal,  and,  secondly,  lest  the  human  Mother  should  be 
privileged  above  her  Divine  Son. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaiighan. 

Disobedience  closed  to  the  first  Eve  the  gates  of  the  earthly 
paradise,  into  which  her  sinlessness  through  grace  had  given  her  a 
right  to  enter.  Obedience  opened  to  the  second  Eve  the  gates  of  the 
heavenly  paradise,  into  which  she  had  won  a  right  to  enter  by  her 
sinlessness  through  grace.  And  so,  in  obedience  to  the  decree  of 
the  Eternal  King,  she  first  passed  through  the  gates  of  death;  even 
as,  in  obedience  to  the  decree  of  an  earthly  king,  she  had  passed  in 
life  through  the  gates  of  her  native  village.  And  as  her  passing 
through  the  gates  of  Nazareth  was  but  an  incident  of  her  journey 
to  Bethlehem,  so  was  her  passing  through  the  gates  of  death  but  an 
incident  of  that  last  journey,  from  earth  to  Heaven.  Through  those 
same  gates  One  had  gone  before  her  who  robbed  death  of  its  sting 
and  the  grave  of  its  victory.  Disease  she  knew  not;  physical  pang 
there  was  none.  Her  agony  she  had  borne  long  aforetime  at  the 
foot  of  the  Cress.  Gently  she  passed,  as  one  who  goes  into  a  sleep, 
or  as  the  fruit  that  is  ripe  falls  of  itself  from  the  tree.  Love, 
stronger  than  death,  claimed  her,  and  to  Love's  sweet  attraction  she 
yielded  her  life.  Love  had  sown  good  seed  in  a  towardly  soil ;  the 
seed  had  taken  root,  and  grown,  and  borne  fruit;  the  fruit  had 
ripened ;  the  time  of  gathering  had  come.  It  was  autumn  in  the  land 
of  Juda,  when  the  angels  gathered  to  God  this  fairest  of  all  earth's 
fruits.  It  beseemed  Him,  who  was  at  once  the  rower  and  the  seed. 
to  pass  in  the  springtime,  when  seed  is  sown :  unless  the  grain  of 
Wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone.  Her  it  beseemed 
to  await  the  time  of  reaping,  when  the  grain  is  ripe  and  the  fields 
are  white  unto  harvest. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

THE  ASSUMPTION 

St.  Matthew  informs  us  that  at  Our  Saviour's  death  upon  the 
Cross,  "the  graves  were  opened,  and  many  bodies  of  the  Saints  that 
slept  arose ;  and,  issuing  from  the  tombs,  after  the  Resurrection,  came 
into  the  Holy  City,  and  appeared  unto  many.  Thus,  there  is  no  doubt 
but  that,  on  rising  from  the  tomb,  Christ,  who  was  "the  first  fruit  of 
the  dead,"  caused  many  of  the  dead  also  to  arise  in  their  bodies. 
And  it  is  the  teaching  of  such  sound  authorities  as  St.  Ignatius 
Martyr,  Origcn,  Eusebius,  Epiphanius  and  others,  that  these  did 
not  return   to  corruption   and  the   grave,   but  were  assumed  up  to 


50      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Heaven  in  their  bodies,  with  Our  Blessed  Lcrd,  at  the  time  of  His 
Ascension.  Now,  if  this  opinion  be  admitted,  who  will  have  the 
hardihood  to  deny  a  similar  privilege  to  the  great  Mother  of  God 
and  Queen  of  the  heavenly  host?  To  say  that  such  a  favour  was 
conferred  upon  ordinary  Saints,  and  those,  too,  belonging  to  the  old 
dispensation,  and  it  was  withheld  from  the  highest  and  holiest  of  all 
creatures,  is  an  outrage  upon  reason  and  common  sense. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

UABT'S  SUBMISSION  TO   GOD'S  WIIL 

In  considering  the  flight  into  Egypt,  we  must  admire  the  nobility 
of  our  Lady's  heart,  as  well  as  that  of  her  Divine  Child,  as,  according 
to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Mary  might  have  replied  thus  to  the  angel 
who  urged  them  to  take  flight:  "Not  long  ago  thou  didst  tell  me  that 
He  should  deliver  His  people  from  their  sins,  and  now  He  cannot 
even  deliver  Himself  from  danger  of  death;  we  have  to  take  refuge 
in  a  strange  land,  and  this  fact  appears  to  contradict  the  words  that 
thou  didst  utter  recently."  But  our  Lady  said  nothing  of  the  kind; 
she  submitted  readily  to  God's  will. 

THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 

To  have  a  solid  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  means  to  study 
and  imitate  her  as  a  model,  and  to  implore  her  motherly  help  with 
the  simplicity  and  confidence  of  a  child. — C.  M.  Thuente,  O.  P. 

THE  HTMILITV   OF  MARY 

What  was  the  special  virtue  beyond  all  others  that  won  for  our 
Blessed  Lady  the  unapproachable  dignity  and  glory  of  giving  birth 
to  the  Son  of  God,  and  of  reigning  forever  as  Queen  of  Heaven  and 
of  earth?  Surely,  it  was  her  unparalleled  and  most  profound  humility. 
"He  hath  regarded,"  says  the  inspired  writer,  "the  humility  of  His 
handmaid."  Then  comes  the  consequence.  "Behold,  from  hence- 
forth, all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed." 

— Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

THE  INTERCESSION   OF  JIABY 

As  this  our  great  advocate  once  said  to  St.  Bridget,  she  regards 
not  the  iniquities  of  the  sinner  who  has  recourse  to  her,  but  the 
disposition  with  which  he  invokes  her  aid.  H  he  comes  to  her  with 
a  firm  purpose  of  amendment  she  receives  him,  and  by  her  intercession 
she  heals  his  wounds,  and  brings  him  to  salvation.  "However  great  a 
man's  sins  may  be,  if  he  shall  return  to  me,  I  am  ready  instantly  to 
receive  him.  Nor  do  I  regard  the  number  or  the  enormity  of  his 
sins,  but  the  will  with  which  he  comes  to  me;  for  I  do  not  disdain 
to  anoint  and  heal  his  wounds,  because  I  am  called,  and  truly  am, 
the  mother  of  mercy." — St.  Alphonsus  Ligiwri. 

THE  PBAYEKS  OF  MABV 

The  prayers  of  the  Saints  are  the  prayers  of  servants;  but  the 
prayers  of  Mary  are  prayers  of  a  mother,  and  therefore,  they  are 
regarded  in  a  certain  manner  as  commands  by  her  Son.  who  loves 
her  so  tenderly.  It  is  then  impossible  that  the  prayers  of  Mary 
should  be  rejected. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  51 

MARY'S   PRAYERS  INFALLIBLY    HEARD 

So  great  is  Mary's  merit  in  the  eyes  of  God,  that  her  prayers 
are  infallibly  heard. — St.  Bonaventure. 

THE   POWER   OF   MARY'S    INTERCESSION 

If  all  the  devils  should  be  arraigned  against  me  before  the  judg- 
ment-seat of  God,  if  the  whole  of  hell  should  rise  up  against  me  and 
open  its  jaws  to  devour  me;  if  all  the  Saints  should  desert  me;  if 
thou,  O  Mary,  wouldst  only  speak  one  word  of  intercession  I  should 
be  saved. — Siiarec. 

A    MOTHER'S   PRAYER 

General  Ccriolanus  having  received  an  olTense  from  the  citizens 
of  Rome,  resolved,  in  revenge,  to  join  the  army  of  the  enemy. 

The  hostile  army  were  already  drawn  up  before  the  gates  of  the 
city,  and  threatened  to  destroy  it.  The  Romans,  perceiving  that  their 
former  invincible  general  led  the  van,  were  filled  with  dismay,  and 
clearly  saw  that  any  resistance  would  be  useless.  They  sent  mes- 
sengers to  him  asking  for  peace,  but  he  refused  to  grant  it,  and  told 
them  that  for  the  dishonour  the  people  of  the  city  had  heaped  upon 
him  he  would  show  them  no  mercy. 

Finally,  as  a  last  resource,  they  thought  of  his  mother  and  they 
besought  her  to  intercede  for  them,  that  for  her  sake  he  might  spare 
the  city. 

When  Coriolanus  saw  his  mother  approaching,  tears  cam.e  into 
his  eyes;  and  when  she  asked  him  to  have  pity  upon  the  ungrateful 
inhabitants  for  her  sake,  he  said:  "My  mother,  you  have  overcome 
my  resentment.  Your  intercession  has  saved  my  enemies."  There- 
upon he  departed,  along  with  his  army,  and  Rome  was  saved. 

Will  Jesus  Christ  refuse  to  listen,  if  His  Mother  requests  Him  to 
show  us  mercy  ? 

THE   HAIL   MARY 

The  prayer,  which  can  most  emphatically  be  called  the  prayer  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  is  the  Hail  Mary.  It  is  an  authentic  formula, 
sanctio>ned  by  God  and  the  Church  and  endorsed  by  all  Christian 
ages  and  generations.  It  embodies  all  the  characteristics  of  the  de- 
votion to  the  Blessed  Lady  and  eminently  produces  its  great  and 
glorious  effects.  It  is  a  polished  mirror,  focusing  all  that  is  best  in 
the  various  forms  of  the  devotion  to  Mary ;  even  as  the  sparkling 
glow  of  the  diamond  flashes  forth  all  the  bright  colours  and  tints 
which  other  precious  gems  only  reflect  in  part.  There  is  no  exag- 
geration in  the  words  of  the  devout  Thomas  a  Kempis,  when  he 
says :  "When  I  recite  the  Hail  Mary  Heaven  rejoices,  the  earth 
marvels,  Satan  withdraws,  hell  trembles,  all  sadness  vanishes,  joy 
returns,  the  heart  glows,  the  soul  is  filled  with  holy  unction ;  hope 
animates  my  bosom  and  a  wonderful  consolation  gladdens  my  whole 
being."  The  holy  Fathers  are  unanimous  in  extolling  the  merits  and 
the  power  of  the  Hail  Mary.  Let  us  quote  one  more  passage.  It 
reads:    "The   Hail    Mary    is   small   in    extent,   but    great   as   to  the 


53      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

effects;  it  is  sweeter  than  hcney  and  more  precious  than  gold.     It 
should  be  frequently  on  our  lips  and  re-echo  in  our  hearts." 

— Charles  Bruehl. 

THE  "HAFL  MARY,"  ON  THE  BATTI>E-riELD 

Father  ^^'e^i^ger  S.  J.  relates  that  he  once  met  a  French  officer 
who  was  a  Protestant,  but  who  had  married  a  Catholic  lady.  During 
the  conversation  the  officer  said:  "What  I  like  most  about  Catholics 
is  that  they  honour  Mary  with  so  much  devotion.  I  myself  am  a 
Protestant,"  he  added,  "but  I  am  delighted  to  hear  my  wife  and  my 
children  say  so  often:  'Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us 
sinners  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  death.'  Let  me  tell  you  what  cnce 
happened  to  me  in  Paris :  During  the  great  Revolution  of  1848, 
General  Bignau  rode  up  to  my  house  in  great  haste,  and  said,  'Come, 
my  friend,  hasten  to  the  barricades!'  I  embraced  my  wife  and 
children,  mounted  my  horse  and  galloped  forward  to  oppose  the 
rebels.  I  have  been  in  many  battles,  but  the  most  terrible  of  them 
can  bear  no  comparison  to  that  street  fight.  When  the  bullets  of 
the  insurgents  were  whistling  past  me  like  hail  in  a  tempest,  I 
thought  of  the  prayers  that  were  being  said  for  me  at  that  moment 
by  my  dear  wife  and  little  ones,  and  in  the  roar  and  din  of  the 
conflict  I  also  said  within  my  heart:  'Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God, 
pray  for  us  sinners  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.  Mary,  pray 
for  me!'    I  did  not  receive  even  the  slightest  wound." 

THE  "HAII-  MARY"  CONVERTING  A  HARDENED  CREtflNAL 

A  certain  man  was,  on  account  of  his  great  crimes,  condemned  to 
death.  A  priest,  full  of  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  went  to 
him  to  prepare  him  to  die  well.  But  the  wretched  man  would  not  as 
much  as  allow  him  to  speak  to  him  about  God  and  eternity.  The 
priest  besought  him  with  words  full  of  earnest  entreaty,  and  even 
threw  himself  at  his  feet,  to  try  to  touch  his  heart.  But  all  was  of 
no  avail ;  the  heart  of  the  criminal,  harder  than  flint,  would  not 
yield.  As  a  last  resource,  the  priest  had  recourse  to  the  most  holy 
Mother  of  God;  then,  full  of  the  most  heartfelt  compassion  for  the 
wretched  man,  he  said  to  him:  "Before  I  leave  you,  will  you  grant 
me  one  little  favour?"  The  man,  more  to  get  rid  of  him  than  from 
the  desire  of  pleasing  him,  answered  that  he  would.  "Let  us,  then, 
say  together  one  'Hail  Mary!'" 

So  they  began  together  that  holy  prayer.  But  scarcely  had  they 
said  the  first  words  of  it,  when  there  came  over  the  poor  man  a  feeling 
of  repentance.  Tears  fell  from  his  eyes,  and  the  next  instant  he  was 
on  his  knees  at  the  feet  of  the  priest,  and  when  the  prayer  was  ended 
he  begged  of  him  to  hear  his  Confession.  He  then  confessed  his 
sins  with  every  mark  of  sincere  sorrow,  and  when  the  time  of  his 
execution  came  he  calmly  died,  pressing  the  image  of  Mary  to  his 
breast. 

THE  rOWER  or  "HAn.  MART" 

The  secret  of  the  power  of  the  Hail  Mary  lies  in  the  intercession 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  As  powerful,  as  widely  extended,  as  reliable 
and   efficacious,   as   is   the   intercession   of   the    Blessed   Mother,   so 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  58 

powerful  and  efficacious  is  the  Hail  Mary;  for  it  is  especially  and 
principally  through  the  Hail  Mary  that  we  obtain  and  secure  the 
intercession  of  our  Blessed  Lady.  There  is  no  prayer  that  will  render 
the  Mother  of  God  so  propitious  to  us,  so  ready  to  hear  our  petitions, 
so  willing  to  take  into  her  own  spotless  hands  our  cause,  and  to  plead 
on  our  behalf  with  her  Divine  Son,  as  the  Hail  Mary.  It  is  the  golden 
key  to  her  maternal  heart.  It  gains  the  ear  and  the  good  will  of 
the  Blessed  Lady  for  us  and  makes  us  sure  of  her  powerful  inter- 
cession. We  will  try  to  understand  why  the  Hail  Mary  has  such  a 
power  over  the  heart  of  our  Blessed  Mother,  and,  hence,  why  it  is 
for  us  such  an  unfailing  means  of  grace  and  inexhaustible  source 
of  heavenly  favours.  We  find  the  explanation  in  its  threefold 
character;  the  Hail  Mary  being  a  prayer  of  praise,  of  thanksgiving, 
and  of  petition.  And  in  each  one  of  these  qualities  it  is  unsurpassed 
and  unrivaled. — Charles  Brtiehl. 

"HAIL,  MARY,  FULL  OF  GRACE"  IS  ALSO  PRAISE  OF  GOD 

Among  the  congratulations  which  are  offered  to  God  on  account 
of  the  Saints  is  the  first  part  of  the  Angelical  Salutation  when  we  use 
it  by  way  of  prayer;  "Hail"  Mary,  "Full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with 
thee,  blessed  art  thou  among  women"  (Luke  i,  28)  ;  for  we  render  to 
God  the  highest  praise,  and  return  Him  most  grateful  thanks,  be- 
cause He  accumulated  all  His  heavenly  gifts  on  the  most  Holy 
Virgin;  and  the  Virgin  herself  we  congratulate  on  this  her  singular 
felicity.  But  to  this  thanksgiving  the  Church  of  God  has  justly 
added  prayers  also  to,  and  an  invocation  of,  the  most  holy  Mother 
of  God,  by  which  we  might  devoutly  and  suppliantly  fly  to  her,  that 
by  her  intercession  she  may  conciliate  God  to  us  sinners,  and  obtain 
for  us  those  blessings  which  we  stand  in  need  of  in  this  life,  and  in 
the  life  to  come.  Exiled  children  of  Eve,  who  dwell  in  this  vale 
of  tears,  we  ought,  therefore,  earnestly  to  beseech  the  Mother  of 
Mercy,  and  the  Advocate  of  the  faithful  people,  to  pray  for  us  sinners, 
and  to  implore  by  this  prayer  aid  and  assistance  from  her  whose 
exalted  merits  with  God  and  whose  earnest  desire  to  assist  mankind 
(by  her  prayers),  it  were  impious  and  wicked  for  any  one  to  doubt. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE   ROSARY 

Verily,  the  Rosary  is  both  an  epitome  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
an  abridgment  of  the  New.  This  we  will  better  understand  on  a 
little  serious  reflection.  The  Old  Testament  contains  a  number  of 
prophetic  books,  which  proclaim  chiefly  the  character,  the  power,  the 
glory  and  the  dignity  of  the  Messiah,  together  with  a  portrayal  of 
His  sufferings.  His  triumph,  the  grandeur  and  perpetuity  of  His 
kingdom,  the  Church.  With  these  is  joined  the  history  of  the  Jewish 
nation — of  that  strange  people  chosen  to  guard  the  sacred  prophecies. 
The  New  Testament  records  the  fulfilment  of  these  prophecies. 

— C  H.  McKenna,  0.  P. 

The  Church  divides  the  ecclesiastical  year  into  certain  periods 
of  joy,  of  sorrow,  and  of  triumph.  Here,  again,  the  Rosary  offers 
the  faithful  an  easy  and  most  efficacious  means  of  entering  into  her 
spirit,  of  uniting  in  her  sublime  liturgy.     But  millions  of  the  faithful 


5-1      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

are  unable  to  unite  with  the  priest  in  the  chanting  of  the  Divine 
Office,  or  at  the  daily  sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  To  all  such  the  Rosary 
affords  an  admirable  means  of  uniting  heart  and  soul  in  the  worship 
of  God,  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  the  Church.  The  beads  supply 
the  place  of  the  Psalms,  by  enabling  us  to  glorify  our  Creator  and 
accomplish  His  adorable  will.  The  Joyful,  Sorrowful,  and  Glorious 
Mysteries  of  our  Rosary  unite  us  with  the  thought  of  the  Church 
in  the  different  seasons  set  apart  to  commemorate  the  life,  passion, 
death  and  triumph  of  the  Saviour.  Hence,  the  Rosary  is  called 
the  breviary  of  the  laity,  the  catechism  of  youth,  the  companion  and 
solace  of  old  age,  the  instructor  of  the  simple,  and  an  inexhaustible 
book  of  meditation  for  our  greatest  theologians. 

—C.  H.  McKenna,  O.  P. 

THE  KOSABY  A9  A  MEANS  OF  SANCTIFICATION 

As  a  means  of  sanctification,  apart  from  the  Sacraments  and 
the  Mass,  there  is  nothing  more  powerful  than  the  Rosary.  It  is  a 
key  to  the  most  intimate  knowledge  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  It  is  an 
effective  way  of  attaining  to  the  perfection  of  charity.  The  young 
artist  is  taught  to  turn  his  eyes  frequently  on  the  works  of  the  great 
masters,  that  he  may  learn  to  produce  masterpieces  like  unto  theirs. 
Now,  Jesus  is  the  Master  of  the  Christian  life;  He  is  the  Model 
whom  we  should  all  study  to  imitate.  "Be  ye  followers  of  me,"  says 
St.  Paul,  "as  I  also  am  of  Christ."  By  ever  turning  to  contemplate 
that  sublime  Model  the  Christian  soul  will  gradually  imbibe  His 
spirit,  and  will  become  an  humble,  though  on  imperfect,  imitator  of 
His  sinless  life.  In  the  language  of  St.  Paul,  he  will  "put  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." — C.  H.  McKenna,  O.  P. 

THE  ROSARY,  A  CONTEMPLATION  OF  JESUS  AND  MABY 

Inseparably  united  with  the  life  of  Our  Lord  is  that  of  His  Im- 
maculate Mother.  It  is  her  Son  whom  the  Rosary  proposes  for  our 
meditation.  As  Jesus  was  the  most  perfect  of  men,  so  Mary  was  the 
most  perfect  of  women.  If  we  are  tempted  to  say  that  the  life  of 
Jesus,  since  He  is  divine,  is  too  elevated  for  our  imitation,  the  temp- 
tation must  be  dispelled  by  the  contemplation  of  a  creature,  like  our- 
selves, reflecting  His  perfections  even  as  the  moon  reflects  the 
brilliancy  of  the  sun, — C.  H.  McKenna,  O.  P. 

CONSTANCY  IN  THE  DEVOTION  TO  MARY 

When  St.  John  Berchmans  was  lying  on  his  deathbed,  and  on  the 
point  of  appearing  before  God,  the  superior  came  to  his  room,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  other  religious  of  the  house.  Kneeling  by  the  side 
of  the  dying  Saint,  he  said  to  him:  "My  dear  brother,  you  are  on  the 
point  of  appearing  before  God;  before  leaving  us,  I  beg  of  you  to 
tell  us  what  special  devotion  we  ought  to  practice  in  honour  of  Our 
Blessed  Lady,  that  we  may  obtain  her  protection  every  day  of  our 
lives,  and  in  particular  at  the  hour  of  our  death."  The  dying  Saint 
answered:  "Any  devotion  you  choose,  provided  it  be  constant." 

MARY,  OirR  HEJ-P  IN  TEMPTATIONS 

A  young  man  who  had  many  times   fallen  into  grievous  mortal 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  56 

sins  went  to  Confession  to  a  certain  priest.  The  good  priest  was 
greatly  afflicted  on  learning  that  he  had  fallen  so  often;  but,  to  en- 
courage him,  he  said:  "My  son,  I  will  tell  you  an  easy  means  of  over- 
coming the  temptations  to  which  you  have  so  often  yielded.  If  you 
do  what  J  tell  you,  you  will  never  fall  again.  Place  yourself  entirely 
under  the  protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Say  a  'Hail  Mary'  every 
morning  and  evening  in  honour  of  her  immaculate  purity;  and  when- 
ever you  are  tempted  to  do  evil,  say  to  her  at  once,  *0  Mary,  help 
me,  for  I  am  thine.'  "  The  young  man  followed  his  advice,  and  in 
a  short  time  was  entirely  delivered  from  his  evil  habits. 

SIABT,  OUR  TEACHER 

When  Father  de  Smet.  of  the  Societv  of  Jesus,  was  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  to  the  natives  of  Oregon,  there  was  a  little  orphan-boy 
named  Paul,  who  had  the  greatest  difficuJty  in  learning  his  Catechism, 
and  even  his  prayers.  He  was  an  innocent  boy,  and  full  of  piety; 
he  was  especially  fond  of  asking  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  pray  for  him. 

One  of  the  Christians  of  that  place,  seeing  that  the  boy  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  learning  the  truths  of  Faith,  charitably  offered 
to  teach  him ;  yet,  notwithstanding  his  great  patience,  Paul  could 
not  retain  the  instructions  given  him.  On  Christmas  Eve,  in  the  year 
1841,  Paul  went  as  usual  to  the  hut  of  the  good  Christian  to  learn 
his  prayers  and  his  Catechism,  but  his  friend  was  absent,  and  Paul 
resolved  to  wait  for  his  return.  It  was  dark,  and  there  was  no  light 
in  the  hut.  Suddenly  the  place  was  filled  with  a  dazzling  light,  and 
in  the  midst  of  it  stood  a  beautiful  lady.  She  taught  him  his  prayers, 
and  instantly  disappeared.  Paul  immediately  ran  to  the  house  where 
Father  de  Smet  dwelt,  and  full  of  joy  began  to  recite  his  prayers. 
This  time  he  said  them  all,  from  beginning  to  end,  without  one 
mistake. 

"Tell  me,  my  child,"  said  the  father,  "how  you  have  been  able 
to  learn  your  prayers  so  quickly.  Surely  God  Himself  must  have 
come  and  taught  you." 

Paul  answered:  "While  I  was  waiting  for  my  friend  to  come  home 
it  began  to  be  very  dark,  and  in  an  instant  the  room  was  filled  with 
— oh,  such  a  brilliant  light!  Then  I  saw  a  beautiful  lady  enter. 
Her  feet  did  not  touch  the  ground,  and  she  was  dressed  in  a  white 
robe  with  a  veil  upon  her  head,  I  also  saw  bright  rays  of  light 
coming  from  her  hands  and  falling  upon  me.  On  seeing  this  beauti- 
ful lady  I  was  at  first  filled  with  great  fear,  but  in  a  few  moments 
the  fear  went  away.  Then  I  felt  my  heart,  as  it  were,  burning  in 
my  breast,  and  my  mind  became  so  clear  that  I  could  understand  all 
things  at  once."  Thus  did  the  Blessed  Virgin  respond  to  the  prayers 
of  Paul. 

HART  AND  THE  ORPHAN  GIRL 

There  was  once  a  little  girl  who  had  just  lost  her  mother.  She 
was  left  alone  in  the  world,  with  no  one  to  care  for  her,  no  one  to 
love  her.  "Oh,  my  mother!  my  mother!"  cried  out  the  little  child, 
''what  will  now  become  of  me?  Who  will  give  me  something  to  eat, 
who  will  protect  me?"  And  the  tears  fell  from  her  eyes  upon  her 
mother's  grave,  as  she  knelt  there,  forsaken  and  alone.    When  night 


56      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

came  on,  she  rose  from  the  ground  to  go  away.  But  whither  was 
she  to  go?  She  had  no  home  now.  She  suddenly  remembered  that 
nearby  stood  a  httle  chapel  dedicated  to  Mary,  the  Mother  of  God; 
so  she  went  towards  it. 

Going  in,  she  knelt  down  before  Our  Lady's  image,  and  with  eyes 
filled  with  tears,  she  thus  began  to  pray :  "O  my  most  sweet,  heavenly 
Mother  Mary,  my  poor  dear  mother  on  earth  is  dead,  and  I  have  no 
one  to  take  pity  on  me.  Ah  !  dear  Mother  Mary,  do  not  forsake 
your  lonely  child  in  her  afflictions." 

And  as  she  was  thus  praying,  a  sudden  and  dazzling  light  began 
to  fill  the  chapel,  and  she  heard  the  strains  of  the  most  ravishing 
music  that  ever  fell  on  mortal  ears.  In  the  midst  of  the  brightness 
there  appeared  a  beautiful  lady,  clad  in  a  raiment  whiter  than  snow. 
On  her  head  was  a  crown  of  the  purest  gold,  and  she  was  accompanied 
by  a  choir  of  the  heavenly  host  singing  joyously. 

The  lady,  smiling  sweetly  on  the  child,  said  to  her:  "I  am  Mary, 
the  Mother  of  God.  I  have  heard  your  prayer,  and  I  will  be  your 
mother,  and  you  shall  be  my  child." 

When  she  had  said  this,  she  placed  her  hand  upon  the  forehead 
of  the  little  girl,  as  a  sign  of  adoption,  and  then  disappeared. 

The  child's  heart  was  now  filled  with  joy  and  consolation.  She 
arose  from  her  knees  to  face  with  couiage  the  trials  and  tempests 
of  a  wicked  world.  She  now  feared  Jiothing,  because  she  knew  that 
under  the  protection  of  her  Mother  in  Heaven  she  would  be  safe 
from  every  danger,  if  she  remained  virtuous. 

When  the  time  of  her  exile  was  ended,  Mary  was  again  by  the 
side  of  her  child  to  help  her  to  die  well ;  and  when  the  end  came  she 
carried  her  happy  soul  to  Heaven,  to  rejoice  for  ever  in  the  presence 
of  God. 

MIKACULOUSLY  CUBED  THROUGH  MARY'S  ES'TERCESSION 

St.  Philip  Neri's  love  and  devotion  to  Our  Lady  were  deep  and 
fervent.  No  child  ever  loved  his  earthly  mother  as  tenderly  as  Philip 
loved  Mary.  He  called  her  his  love,  his  joy,  his  consolation,  and 
uttered  these  words  with  so  much  tenderness  that  those  who  heard 
him  were  moved  to  tears. 

Whenever  he  wanted  anything  from;  Jesus,  he  asked  it  through 
Mary ;  she  seemed  to  lead  him,  as  it  were,  to  the  feet  of  His  heavenly 
throne,  and  procure  for  him  whatever  he  asked.  One  day,  while 
lying  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  so  ill  that  the  physicians  themselves 
thought  he  would  never  rise  again,  he  was  suddenly  heard  to  exclaim: 
"O  my  most  holy  Mother,  my  most  beauteous  and  blessed  Mother!" 
The  physicians  and  priests  present  hastened  to  his  side,  and  heard 
him  exclaim:  "Dearest  Lady,  I  am  not  worthy  of  this  favour.  I  do 
not  deserve  that  thou  shouldst  come  to  visit  and  heal  me.  What 
return  shall  I  make  to  thee  if  thou  restoreth  me  to  health — L  who 
have  never  done  any  good?"  To  the  surprise  of  all,  he  arose  from 
his  bed  perfectly  cured.    Our  Blessed  Lady  had  healed  him. 

MT  MOTHER  MARY 

St.  Francis  Xavier  had  always  a  great  love  for  the  blessed  Mother 
of  God.     He  used  to  call  her  his  Mother — "mv  own  sweet  Mother 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  57 

Mary."  When  he  was  at  the  point  of  death,  and  trembled  as  he 
thought  of  the  judgment  he  was  so  soon  to  undergo,  he  turned  his 
eyes  heavenward  towards  Mary,  and  said  to  her  "O  Mary,  I  have 
always  loved  thee  as  my  Mother!  show  me  now  at  this  terrible 
moment  that  thou  art  my  Mother."  He  died  the  death  of  tlie  Saints. 
The  words,  "Show  thyself  to  be  my  Mother,"  were  the  last  he  was 
heard  to  utter. 

PKAYEKS  T1L\T  COME   FROM  A   SINFUL   HEART 

There  was  once  a  young  man  who  had  the  evil  habit  of  committing 
sins  against  holy  purity.  From  the  days  of  his  childhood  he  had 
always  honoured  the  holy  Mother  of  God  as  his  pious  mother  had 
taught  him ;  and  although  living  in  the  state  of  sin,  he  every  day  said 
some  prayers  in  her  honour.  One  night  he  had  a  strange  dream. 
He  dreamed  that  he  had  gone  out  to  walk  in  a  forest,  and  that  he 
Ixid  lost  his  way.  He  wandered  about  for  a  long  time  looking  for 
the  path,  but  in  vain.  Soon  he  began  to  feel  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
and  he  looked  on  all  sides  for  something  to  eat.  but  found  nothing. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  before  him  a  beautiful  lady  surrounded 
with  a  heavenly  light,  who  came  to  him  and  placed  before  him  the 
most  delicious  food  that  he  had  ever  seen,  but  on  a  dish  which  was 
exceedingly  filthy.  The  sight  of  the  dish  filled  him  with  disgust,  and 
although  he  was  almost  dying  of  hunger,  he  could  not  bring  himself 
to  taste  the  tempting  food  upon  the  plate.  The  lady  said  to  him : 
"Take  and  eat  this  delicious  food  I  have  brought  to  you."  "Oh, 
how  willingly  would  I  eat  of  it?"  he  answered,  "because  I  am  hungry- 
and  the  food  is  tempting,  but  I  cannot  eat  it  out  of  that  loathsome 
dish!"  The  lady  (it  was  the  Blessed  Virgin)  then  said:  "The  prayers 
which  you  say  in  my.  honour  every  day  are  indeed  beautiful  in  them- 
selves, but  your  heart  is  so  impure.  How  can  you  expect  that  I  can 
receive  with  pleasure  prayers  from  a  soul  steeped  in  the  filth  of  sin?" 
Having  said  these  words,  she  disappeared,  and  the  young  man  awoke. 
"Ah  !"  he  said,  "my  soul  is  indeed  black  and  filthy  on  account  of  the 
sins  I  have  committed,  but  from  this  hour  I  will  change  my  life  and 
never  sin  again." 

THE  DEVOTION  OF  THE  SEVEN  DOLOURS 

St.  John  once  heard  the  Blessed  Virgin  ask  our  Divine  Saviour  to 
grant  some  special  favour  to  those  who  should  keep  her  Dolours 
in  remembrance.  Our  Lord  replied  that  He  would  grant  four  parti- 
cular graces  to  all  those  who  should  practice  this  devotion.  These 
are  the  four  graces  He  is  said  to  have  promised:  i.  Perfect  contrition 
for  all  their  sins  some  time  before  their  death.  2.  A  special  protection 
at  the  hour  of  death,  at  that  hour  when  souls  are  most  in  need  of 
help.  3.  That  He  would  imprint  deeply  on  their  hearts  the  mysteries 
of  His  Sacred  Passion.  4.  A  particular  power  of  impetration  granted 
to  Mary's  prayers  on  their  behalf. — Father  Faber. 

THE  ANGELU8  PRAISED  BT  A  PROTESTANT  WRITER 

Robert  Lynd,  a  Presbyterian,  has  this  passage  in  his  book  Home 
Life  in  Ireland:  "If  you  are  in  a  little  town  in  any  part  of  Ireland — 
except  the  northwest — about  noon,  when  the  chapel  beells  ring  for  the 


58      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Angelus,  you  will  see  all  the  men  suddenly  taking  off  their  hats  and 
crossing  themselves  as  they  say  their  midday  prayers.  The  world 
loses  its  air  of  work  or  of  commonplace  idleness,  and  the  streets  take 
on  an  intense  beauty  for  the  moment  as  the  old  people  and  the  young 
people  half  hide  their  eyes  and  murmur  a  prayer  to  the  Mother  of 
God.  ...  I  confess  I  like  this  daily  forgetfulness  of  the  world 
in  the  world  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  It  brings  wonder  into  almost 
every  country  town  in  Ireland  at  least  once  every  day." 

THE  PETITION  OF  A  PROTESTANT  POET 

Ah,  Mary,  pierced  with  sorrow, 

Remember,  reach  and  save 
The  soul  that  comes  to-morrow 

Before  the  God  that  gave ! 
Since  each  was  born  of  woman, 

For  each  at  utter  need — 
True  comrade  and  true  foeman — 

Madonna,  intercede ! 

— Rudyard  Kipling. 

THE  PBAYER  OF  A  NON-CATHOLIC  POET 

Oh,  when  our  need  is  uttermost, 
Think  that  to  such  as  death  may  strike 
Thou  once  wert  sister  sister-like ! 

—D.  G.  Rossetti. 

THE  TRIBUTE  OF  A  PROTESTANT  POET 

And  even  as  children,  who  have  much  offended 
A  too  indulgent  father,  in  great  shame. 
Penitent,  and  yet  not  daring  unattended 
To  go  into  his  presence,  at  the  gate 
Speak  with  their  sister,  and  confiding  wait 
Till  she  goes  in  before  and  intercedes; 
So  men,  repenting  of  their  evil  deeds. 
And  yet  not  venturing  rashly  to  draw  near 
With  their  requests  an  angry  Father's  ear, 
Offer  to  her  their  prayers  and  their  confession, 
And  she  for  them  in  Heaven  makes  intercession. 

— Longfelloiv. 


THE  ANGELS 

THE  CREATION  OF  THE  ANGELS 

(jod  created  angels  innumerable,  to  serve  and  minister  to  Him ; 
and  these  he  afterwards  enriched  and  adorned  with  the  admirable 
gifts  of  His  grace  and  power.  For  that  the  devil  and  the  rest  of  the 
rebel  angels  had  been  gifted  at  their  creation  with  grace,  is  clear, 
since  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  we  read  that  the  devil  "stood  not  in 
the  truth"  (John  viii,  44).  On  which  subject,  St.  Augustine  has 
as  follows:  "He  created  the  angels  with  a  good  will,  that  is,  with 
pure  love,  by  which  they  might  adhere  to  Him,  at  once  forming  in 
them  a  nature,  and  bestowing  on  them  grace.  Hence  we  are  to  believe 
that  the  holy  angels  never  were  without  good  will,  that  is,  the  love 


THE  ANGELS  59 

of  God"  (Dc  Ciznt.  Dei,  xii,  g).  As  to  their  knowlcd(;^e,  there  is 
extant  this  testimony  of  Holy  Scripture:  "Thou,  Lord,  my  King,  art 
wise  according  to  the  wisdom  of  an  angel  of  God,  to  understand  all 
tilings  upon  earth"  (2  Kings  xiv,  20).  Finally,  to  them  the  inspired 
David  ascribes  power  in  these  words:  "Mighty  in  strength,  executing 
His  word"  (Ps.  cii,  20)  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  they  are  often  called  in 
Scripture  "the  powers"  and  "the  hosts"  of  the  Lord.  But  although 
they  had  been  all  adorned  with  celestial  gifts,  very  many,  nevertheless, 
who  revolted  from  God,  their  Parent  and  Creator,  being  hurled  from 
those  loftiest  mansions,  and  shut  up  in  the  darkest  dungeon  of  the 
earth,  suffer  the  eternal  punishment  of  their  pride,  of  whom  the 
Prince  of  the  Apostles  writes  thus:  "He  "spared  not  the  angels  that 
sinned;  but  delivered  them,  drawn  down  by  infernal  ropes  to  the 
lower  hell,  into  torments,  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment"  (2  Pet.  ii,  4). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  NATURE  OF  THE  ANGKI.8 

The  Vatican  Council  speaks  of  them  as  "spiritual,"  and  contrasts 
them  with  man,  who  is  made  up  of  matter,  as  well  as  spirit.  Every- 
thing that  we  read  about  the  angels  in  Holy  Scripture  makes  it  clear 
that  they  are  not  as  we  are.  Except  by  means  of  some  supernatural 
intervention,  they  are  invisible  to  the  eyes  of  the  body.  Had  they 
bodily  frames  as  we  have,  we  should  see  them  without  the  need  of 
a  miracle  to  enable  us  to  do  so.  Not  till  his  eyes  were  opened  by 
the  Lord,  not  otherwise,  that  is,  than  by  some  special  intervention, 
was  Balaam  able  to  see  the  angel  of  the  Lord.  "Forthwith  the  Lord 
opened  the  eyes  of  Balaam,  and  he  saw  the  angel  standing  in  the  way 
with  a  drawn  sword,  and  he  worshipped  him,  falling  flat  to  the 
ground"  (Num.  xxiii,  31),  The  angel  who  appeared  to  Gedeon  dis- 
appeared so  suddenly  from  his  sight,  by  which  fact  he  knew  that  it 
was  an  angel  who  had  been  speaking  with  him.  "The  angel  of  the 
Lord  vanished  out  of  his  sight.  And  Gedeon  seeing  that  it  was 
the  angel  of  the  Lord,  said :  Alas,  my  Lord  God :  for  I  have  seen  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  face  to  face"  (judges  vi,  21,  22). 

— H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  CONDITION  OF  AN  ANGEL 

An  angel  is  will  and  intelligence  unhampered  and  untrammeled 
by  the  flesh.  How  often  our  soul  sighs  to  be  free  from  bodily 
hindrances;  to  feel  no  longer  the  fatigue  and  heaviness  which  oppress 
the  bodily  frame.  Such  is  the  condition  of  God's  holy  angels.  And, 
to  take  another  thought,  what  intense  activity  may  be  exercised  in  the 
spiritual  part  of  our  nature  while  the  body  is  still.  What  wide 
tracts  we  can  range  over  in  thought;  what  violent  struggles  can  take 
place  in  our  inmost  souls;  what  burning  desires,  what  joy,  what 
deepest  grief,  what  serenity  and  what  desolation  our  spirits  can  ex- 
perience, yet  none  know  by  any  external  act  what  is  taking  place 
within.  From  our  own  inner  experience,  then,  by  multiplying  a 
thousandfold  the  energies  of  our  souls,  we  may  gain  some  notion  of 
the  vast  activities  of  those  spirits  whom  God  has  created,  unfettered 
by  fleshly  bond,  to  be  His  court  and  to  do  His  behests.  This,  then, 
is  another  truth  taught  us  by  Holy  Scripture  and  the  Church,  that 


60      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

angels  are  purely  spiritual,  without  any  admixture  of  material  and 
bodily  elements. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

ANGELS  riCTURED 

To  angels  are  fashioned  both  the  human  form  and  wings,  that 
the  faithful  may  understand  how  benevolent  they  are  towards  the 
human  race,  and  that  they  are  ever  ready  to  execute  the  embassies 
of  the  Lord;  for  "they  are  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  to  minister 
for  these  who  shall  receive  the  inheritance  of  salvation"  (Heb. 
I,  14). — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  SIN  OF  THE  FALLEN  ANGELS 

The  angels  who  fell,  like  those  who  stood  firm,  were  created  for 
God's  glory  and  their  own  happiness.  But  God  would  have  free 
and  willing  service,  and  to  this  end  it  was  necessary  that  his  glorious 
creatures,  the  angels,  should  be  endowed  with  free  will,  with  the 
mastery  over  their  own  actions,  with  the  power  of  choice  between 
God's  service  or  the  worship  and  service  of  self.  We  can  gather 
from  Holy  Scripture  that  the  sin  of  the  angels  was  a  sin  of  immense 
and  overweening  pride.  St.  Paul,  writing  to  his  disciple  Timothy, 
warns  him  not  to  elevate  to  the  episcopate  one  who  is  a  new  convert, 
."but,"  he  says,  "being  puffed  up  with  pride,  he  fell  into  the  judgment 
of  the  devil:"  into  the  judgment,  that  is,  into  which  the  devil  himself 
fell.  "Satan,"  writes  St.  Athanasius,  "was  not  driven  from  Heaven 
for  a  sin  of  fornication  or  adultery  or  robbery;  but  pride  cast  him 
down  into  the  lowest  depths  of  the  abyss."  That  the  sin  of  the  angels 
was  a  sin  of  pride  is  the  common  and  universal  teaching  of  Fathers 
and  Doctors  of  the  Church. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  SOULS  OF  MEN  TO  KEPLACE  THE  FALLEN  ANGELS 

How  long  will  the  human  race  endure?  How  ^ong  will  sons  and 
daughters  continue  to  be  born,  and  to  fill  the  earth  from  sea  to  sea? 
The  answer  must  be:  until  every  vacancy  in  heaven  is  filled  up.  That 
is  to  ray,  until  the  number  of  human  beings  who  are  saved  and 
sanctified  equals  the  number  of  the  fallen  angels. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

Thy  tale  complete  of  Saints  Thou  dost  provide 

To  fill  the  thrones  which  angels  lost  through  pride ! 

— Cardinal  Newman. 

INVOCATION  OF  THE  ANGELS  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE 

Their  intercession  is  to  be  invoked,  because  they  always  see  God, 
and  most  willingly  undertake  the  advocacy  of  our  salvation  assigned 
to  them.  Of  this  invocation,  there  exist  testimonies  of  Sacred 
Scripture;  for  Jacob  entreats,  nay,  compels  the  angel  with  whom  he 
had  wrestled,  to  bless  him,  declaring  that  he  would  not  let  him  go 
until  he  had  received  his  blessing  (Gen.  xxii,  24,  sq.,  Osee,  xii,  4)  ; 
nor  did  he  implore  the  blessing  of  the  anirel  only  whom  he  saw,  but 
also  of  him  whom  he  saw  not:  "The  an^el,"  savs  he.  "that  delivcreth 
mc  from  all  evils,  bless  these  boys"  (Gen.  xlviii.  16). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


THE  ANGELS  «1 

OUARDIAN  ANOELS 

To  angels  is  committed  by  the  Providence  of  God  the  office  to 
guard  the  human  race,  and  be  ready  at  hand  with  every  man  to 
protect  him  from  any  serious  harm.  For  as  parents,  if  their  children 
have  occasion  to  travel  a  dangerous  way,  infested  by  robbers,  appoint 
persons  to  guard  and  assist  them  in  case  of  attack,  so  has  our 
Heavenly  Fatlier  placed  over  each  of  us,  in  this  our  journey  towards 
our  heavenly  country,  angels,  protected  by  whose  aid  and  diligence  we 
might  escape  the  snares  secretly  prepared  by  our  enemies,  repel  their 
horrible  attacks  en  us,  and  proceed  directly  on  our  journey,  secured 
by  their  guidance  against  the  devious  wandering  into  which  our 
treacherous  fee  might  withdraw  us  from  the  way  that  leads  to 
Heaven. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

He  hath,  given  His  Angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy 
ways. — In  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot 
against  a  stone. — Ps.  XC,  ii,  12. 

The  Angel  of  the  Lord  shall  encamp  round  about  them  that  fear 
Him,  and  shall  deliver  them.—Ps.  XXXHI,  8. 

HOW  OUR  GUABDIAX  AXGELS  BENEFIT  US 

The  advantage  derived  from  this  special  care  and  Providence  of 
God  over  men,  the  functions  and  administration  of  which  are  in- 
trusted to  angels,  whose  nature  occupies  an  intermediate  place  be- 
tween God  and  man,  is  evident  from  the  examples  which  the  Sacred 
Scriptures  supply  in  abundance,  and  which  testify  that,  by  the  Divine 
goodness,  it  has  come  to  pass  that  angels  have  frequently  wrought 
wondrous  things  in  the  sight  of  men :  by  which  we  are  admonished 
that  innumerable  like  important  services  are  rendered  us  invisibly 
by  angels,  the  guardians  of  cur  safety  and  salvation.  The  angel 
Raphael,  who  was  appointed  by  God  the  companion  and  guide  of 
Tobias  (Tob.  v,  15,  20;  xii,  3),  conducted  him,  and  brought  him  back 
safe;  assisted  to  save  him  from  being  devoured  by  an  enormous  fish, 
and  pointed  cut  to  him  the  singular  virtue  of  its  liver,  gall  and  heart 
{ibid,  vi,  2,  sqq.) ,  expelled  the  demon,  and,  by  fettering  and  binding 
up  his  power,  preserved  Tobias  from  harm  {ibid,  viii,  3)  ;  taught  the 
young  man  the  true  and  legitimate  rights  and  use  of  marriage  {ibid. 
vi,  17,  sqq.)  ;  and  restored  to  the  elder  Tobias  the  use  of  his  sight 
{ibid,  xi,  8,  15). — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  GUARDIAN  ANGEL  OF  THE  DYING  MAN 

St.  Francis  Regis  had  a  deep  devotion  to  the  holy  angels.  He 
never  passed  a  church  without  saluting  the  guardian  angels  of  that 
church;  and  when  he  saw  someone  coming  to  confession,  he  always 
besought  the  angel  guardian  of  that  person  to  obtain  for  him  the  grace 
of  true  repentance.  One  day,  passing  down  a  street,  he  was  suddenly 
stopped  by  someone.  He  looked  round  to  see  who  it  might  be,  but 
there  was  no  one  near  him.  He  tried  again  to  move  forward,  but  he 
found  it  impossible.  At  that  moment  a  window  above  his  head  was 
opened,  and  he  h.eard  a  voice  of  one  calling  for  a  priest  to  attend  a 
dying  person.     He  at  once  ascended  to  the  room,  and,  having  heard 


62      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  sick  man's  confession,  he  anointed  him,  and  the  poor  man  died 
in  sentiments  of  great  piety.  St.  Francis  attributed  this  to  the  inter- 
vention of  the  guardian  angel  of  the  dying  man. 

MINDFULNESS  OF  OUR  GUAKDIAN  ANGEL  KEEPS  US  FROM  SIN 

One  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert,  being  asked  one  day  why  he  was 
never  angry  and  always  so  charitable,  answered:  "I  always  keep  in 
mind  the  presence  of  my  guardian  angel,  who  is  at  my  side  and 
assists  me  in  all  my  wants,  who  whispers  into  my  soul  what  I  ought 
to  say  and  what  God  wishes  me  to  do,  and  who  writes  down  the 
manner  in  which  I  have  performed  each  one  of  my  actions.  This 
thought  fills  me  with  so  much  respect  for  him  that  I  am  always 
careful  never  to  say  or  do  anything  that  may  displease  him." 

CONFIDENCE  IN  THE  GUARDIAN  ANGEL 

Blessed  Jane  of  Orvieto  had  a  great  respect  for  her  angel  guard- 
ian, and  placed  entire  confidence  in  his  protection.  When  she  was 
very  young  she  lost  both  her  parents.  This  was  a  heavy  blow  for 
the  affectionate  child;  but  her  mother  had  taught  her  ever  to  confide 
in  the  care  of  her  guardian  angel,  and  this  gave  her  consolation  in 
her  deep  sorrow.  A  pious  lady  one  day  said  to  her:  "My  child,  how 
can  you  bear  so  courageously  your  terrible  loss?"  The  child  showed 
her  a  little  picture  of  a  guardian  angel  her  mother  had  given  her, 
and  answered:  "Do  you  not  know  that  my  good  angel  has  taken  the 
place  of  my  dear  father  and  mother,  and  loves  me  even  more  than 
they  could?    Why,  then,  should  I  give  way  to  sadness?" 

THE  FALLEN  ANGELS 

Do  we  believe  in  the  devil?  The  truth  of  the  existence  around  us 
of  an  active  army  of  evil  spirits,  constantly  striving  by  their  attacks 
to  kill  the  life  of  grace  in  our  souls,  is  in  danger  of  being  forgotten 
through  neglect.  No  doubt  the  doctrine  of  the  devil's  existence  and 
power  has  been  tinged  with  legendary  superstition  where  it  has  not 
been  distorted  by  exaggeration ;  no  doubt,  in  pagan  lands  devil-wor- 
ship, with  its  attendant  vices,  reigns  in  its  most  debased  and  degrading 
form,  but  all  this  is  no  valid  reason  why  we  should  refuse  to  accept 
the  Scriptural  teaching  about  the  nature  of  our  spiritual  warfare, 
corroborated  as  it  is  by  the  testimony  of  our  own  conscious  experi- 
ence, any  more  than  the  thousand  gods  of  false  mythology  should 
make  us  give  up  belief  in  the  one  true  God? — W.  R.  Carson. 


CHAPTER    III 

MAN;    THE    SOUL;    IMMORTALITY;    ETERNITY; 
THE    LAST   THINGS 

GOD  AST)  MAS 

Man  himself  is  a  great  deep,  of  whose  very  hairs,  O  Lord,  Thou 
kecpest  an  account,  and  not  one  is  wanting  in  Thee,  and  yet  his 
hairs  are  more  easily  numbered  than  his  affections  and  the  motions 
of  his  heart. — St.  Augustine. 

The  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  slime  of  the  earth. — Gen.  II,  17. 

They  are  equal  to  the  angels,  and  are  the  children  of  God,  being 
the  children  of  the  Resurrection. — Luke  XX,  36. 

THE  NATURE  OF  MAN 

Not  only  are  masters  and  servants  equal  before  God,  but  also  in 
the  plane  of  nature.  This  the  great  Shakespeare  had  in  view  when 
he  put  these  words  in  the  mouth  of  Hamlet,  touching  Caesar  the 
conqueror  of  nations : 

Imperial  Caesar  dead  and  turned  to  clay, 
Might  stop  a  hole  to  keep  the  wind  away, 
Oh,  that  this  earth  which  kept  the  world  in  awe 
Should  patch  a  wall  t'  expel  the  winter's  flaw. 

THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  BODY 

Glorious,  indeed,  will  be  the  springtime  of  the  Resurrection,  when, . 
all  that  seemed  dry  and  withered  will  bud  forth  and  blossom.  The 
glory  of  Lebanon  will  be  given  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and 
Sharon;  the  fir  tree  for  the  thorn,  the  myrtle  tree  for  the  briar;  and 
the  mountains  and  the  hills  shall  break  forth,  before  us,  in  singing. 
Who  would  miss  being  of  that  company  ? — Cardinal  Newman. 

The  hour  cometh  wherein  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear 
the  Voice  of  the  Son  of  God. — And  they  that  have  done  good  things 
shall  come  forth  unto  the  Resurrection  of  Life:  and  they  that  have 
done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of  Judgment. — John  V,  28,  29. 

For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  in  the  Last  Day  I  shall 
rise  out  of  the  earth. — And  I  shall  be  clothed  again  zuith  my  skin, 
and  in  my  flesh  /  shall  see  my  God. — Whom  I  myself  shall  see,  and 
my  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another:  this  my  hope  is  laid  up  in 
my  bosom. — Job  XIX,  25,  2y. 

THE  FUTURE  LIFE  OF  THE  BODY 

We  shall  meet  again,  are  words  most  frequently  uttered,  even  by 

63 


64      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  irreligious  and  the  unbelieving,  when  the  minutes  of  life  may  be 
numbered  and  the  soul  is  shortly  about  to  take  its  departure.  But 
if  it  is  the  soul  only  with  which,  at  some  future  time,  we  are  to  be 
brought  again  into  contact,  the  idea  of  meeting  is  shorn  of  half  its 
significance,  and  deprived  of  most  of  the  consolation  which  it 
undoubtedly  affords  both  to  the  mourner  and  the  dying.  The  poet 
was  voicing  one  of  the  truest  instincts  we  have  when  he  exclaimed : 
"Oh!  for  the  touch  of  the  vanished  hand,  for  the  sound  of  the  voice 
that  is  still. " — John  Frecland. 

It  is  soivn  in  corruption,  it  shall  rise  in  incorruption. — It  is  sozun 
in  dishonour,  it  shall  rise  in  glory.  It  is  sown  in  zveakness,  it  shall 
rise  in  pozvcr. — It  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  shall  rise  a  spiritual 
body. — I  Cor.  XV,  42,  44. 

One  is  the  glory  of  the  sun,  another  the  glory  of  the  moon,  and 
anotlier  the  glory  of  the  stars. — For  star  differcth  from  star  in 
Glory.    So  also  is  the  Resurrection  of  the  dead. — I  Cor.  XV,  41,  42. 

We  will  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  them  that 
are  asleep,  that  you  be  not  sorrozvful  even  as  others  zvho  have  no 
hope. — For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died,  and  rose  again,  even  so 
them  who  have  slept  through  Jesus,  God  will  bring  zvitJi  Him. 

— I  Thess.  IV,  12,  13. 

THE  FEEBLENESS  AND  THE  POWER  OF  MAN 

When  man  contemplates  nature  in  its  glorious  majesty,  the 
thousands  of  brilliant  stars,  that  whirl  in  unlimited  space,  that 
glorious  light,  destined  to  illuminate  the  world,  as  a  mighty  torch ; 
the  oceans,  filling  the  air  with  the  bellowing  of  their  waves ;  that 
earth,  finally,  that  seems  to  him  so  vast  and  yet  is  nothing  but  a 
dark  speck  in  the  universe;  and  when  from  this  impressive  sight 
he  turns  his  attention  to  himself,  this  first  look  is,  indeed,  calculated 
to  abash  him.  For  what  is  he  amidst  this  immensity  but  a  shadow 
that  passes?  Yet,  this  immense  world  knows  not  itself;  man  knows  it. 
He  is  but  a  feeble  rod,  but  a  conscious  and  thinking  rod. — Pascal. 

WHAT  IS  THE  MEANING  OF  LIFE? 

It  is  quite  true  that  from  time  to  time  we  do  get  bored  with  the 
preacher  who  is  for  ever  harping  on  the  baseness  of  this  wicked 
world  and  the  bliss  of  the  future  Heaven.  We  have  even  heard 
of  the  church  warden  who,  when  challenged,  declared  he  was  quite 
ready  for  eternal  happiness  but  would  rather  not  talk  of  such 
distressing  subjects.  Nevertheless,  sooner  or  later,  we  must  come 
face  to  face  with  this  question:  "What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this 
world,  and  where,  I  wonder,  do  I  come  in?" — TJiomas  F.  Gerrard. 

LIFE  AND  ETERNITY 

It  is  in  eternity  that  our  real  lives  shall  be  spent.  This  world 
has  no  lasting  interest  for  us.  We  are  only  pilgrims,  strangers 
staying  here  for  a  night — the  broad  day  of  our  real  existence  is  to 
be  spent  in  Eternity.  Shall  we  then  compare  this  life  to  Eternity? 
No,  we  cannot.    What  is  the  length  of  the  largest  life  compared  with 


MAN  66 

the  length  of  eternity?  An  instant,  a  second,  that  flies  by  and  is 
forgotten.  What  are  the  pains  or  pleasures  of  this  life  compared 
with  the  pains  or  pleasures  of  eternity  ?  So  utterly  insignificant  that 
they  will  not  bear  comparison.  There  is  no  sorrow  in  this  world  so 
great  that  the  mind  may  not  rise  superior  to  it.  And  however  bitter 
yesterday,  its  pains  are  forgotten  to-day.  But  the  pains  of  hell  are 
so  overwhelming,  that  it  is  only  the  power  of  God  that  can  support 
the  victims  of  His  anger,  and  the  pains  of  hell  are  never  ending. 
They  who  have  once  become  the  victim  of  God's  justice  shall  never 
know  His  mercy. — F.  A.  Sheehan. 

UFE  rN'SIGNIFIC.^NT 

Take  any  great  city,  such  as  London,  Paris,  New  York,  or 
Boston.  Where  are  now  the  multitudes  that  formed  their  teeming 
populations  but  one  short  century  ago  ?  An  individual  here  and 
there,  a  great  politician,  a  famous  writer,  a  scientist  or  a  philosopher 
may,  perhaps,  still  survive  the  effects  of  "time's  effacing  fingers." 
Their  names,  and  just  a  fact  or  two  concerning  them,  may  linger 
yet  in  the  memory  of  the  living.  But  soon  even  their  very  names 
will  be  forgotten,  and  oblivion  will  claim  them  as  her  own.  Of  the 
unnumbered  millions  of  ordinary  labourers,  servants,  artisans,  profes- 
sional men,  and  others,  is  there  so  much  as  one  that  we  know 
anything  about?  Is  there  a  single  individual  among  the  masses  of 
the  people  of  that  far-off  period,  whose  name  we  could  mention, 
whose  life  we  could  describe,  or  whose  career  is  of  the  slightest 
interest  lo  anyone  amongst  us?  No!  So  far  as  the  present  generation 
is  concerned  they  arc  as  though  they  never  had  been.  So  will  it  be 
with  us.  We  may  be  of  some  importance  now.  We  may  exercise 
some  slight  influence  over  our  immediate  friends  and  acquaintances ; 
and  affect  in  some  degree  our  own  generation,  but  our  names  shall 
scarcely  reach  down  to  another. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaiighan. 

LOSS  AND  GAIN 

One  of  the  early  martyrs  said  to  his  persecutors  as  they  were 
leading  him  to  death:  "You  take  a  life  from  me  that  I  cannot  keep, 
and  bestow  a  life  upon  me  that  I  cannot  lose." 

SUFFER  IN  THIS  LIFE  BATHER  THAN  IN  THE  OTHER 

Burn,  cut,  spare  not,  in  this  life,  that  Thou  mayest  spare  for 
eternity. — St.  Augustine. 

THE  rMPORTANCE   OF  SALVATION 

The  salvation  of  a  soul  is  so  important,  that  in  order  to  procure 
ii-  we  should  expose  not  only  our  property,  but  our  life. 

— St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

OUR  ETERNAL  SALVATION  OUB  MOST  IMPORTANT  BUSINESS 

The  business  for  which  we  struggle  is  eternity.  There  is  the 
question  of  eternity:  there  is  the  question  whether  we  snaii  be  saved, 
and  be  forever  happy  in  a  city  of  delights;  or  be  uamned  and 
confined  for  eternity  in  a  pit  of  fire. — St.  tucharius. 


H6      ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMOXS  AXD  IXSTRUCTIONS 

THE  ClXr  OF  THE  WORLD  AND  THE  CITY  OF  GOD 

A  twofold  love  divides  mankind  into  the  City  of  the  World  and 
the  City  of  God.  Man's  self-love  and  his  self-exaltation  pushed  to  the 
contempt  of  God  constitute  the  City  of  the  World;  but  the  love  of 
God  pushed  to  contempt  of  self  is  the  foundation  of  the  City  of 
God. — St.  Augustine. 


THE  SOUL 

THE  sort 

Our  soul  is  a  spirit.  It  has  an  activity  of  its  own.  in  which  the 
•body  does  not  partake.  Therefore  it  has  a  being,  an  existence  of  its 
own,  which  does  not  share  the  destiny  of  the  body.  The  soul  can  act 
without  the  body;  it  can  be  and  live  without  it.  Whatever  destroys 
the  life  of  the  body,  does  not  destroy  the  soul;  for  they  are  not  one, 
but  separable.  And  when  that  great  catastrophe  comes,  which 
involves  the  body  in  ruin  and  death,  the  soul,  having  its  own  life,  is 
not  implicated  in  this  nun.  but  survives.  The  death  of  the  body 
does  not  reach  the  soul.  When  the  body  decays  the  soul  retrenches 
itself  into  its  inner  world,  into  itself.  Nor  will  it  die  when  once 
separated  from  the  body ;  for,  being  simple,  it  can  not  be  dissolved. 
We  have  no  instance  of  annihilation  in  the  world;  death  is  not 
annihilation  but  dissolution  of  the  whole  into  its  parts.  And  since  the 
soul  has  no  parts,  it  can  not  be  dissolved ;  it  can  not  be  rent  asunder ; 
it  can  not  be  decomposed ;  it  can  not  die.  And  therefore  we  sum  up 
our  first  point  in  the  words  of  Holy  Scripture:  "God  made  man 
incorruptible"    (Wisd.  ii,  23). — Charles  Bruehl. 

SOUL  AND  BODY 

Faith  teaches  us  that  man  is  the  personal  union  of  a  material 
body  and  of  a  spiritual,  free,  responsible,  and  consequently  immortal 
soul.  Beyond  that  body,  with  its  exquisite  beauty  of  form,  its 
delicate  texture,  its  lythe  movement,  its  noble  bearing,  and  its 
wonderful  mechanism,  all  of  which  can  be  seen  and  handled,  there 
is  a  something  which  sense  can  not  reach.  The  voice,  the  manner, 
the  expression  are  but  the  outward  manifestations  of  a  something 
always  and  necessarily  invisible.  The  delicately  wielded  scalpel  of 
the  anatomist  can  not  detect  it  in  the  folds  of  any  human  brain ;  the 
psychologist's  exhaustive  analysis  of  human  thought  can  not  draw  it 
into  the  light.  Underlying  face  and  form,  speech  and  action ;  under- 
lying all  that  is  most  private  and  subtle,  is  that  around  which  all 
else  is  gathered  and  without  which  all  else  would  never  have  been  or 
would  cease  to  be. 

Man  is  a  being  made  up  of  soul  and  body.  He  is  in  the  root  of 
his  being  a  person.  He  is  that  which  each  of  us  means  when  he  says : 
"I."  He  is,  or  has  within  the  outward  form  of  his  body,  a  personal 
spirit,  or,  as  Scripture  terms  it,  a  being  "made  to  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God."  The  carefully  trained  horse  or  dog  may  carry 
instinct  forward  to  the  very  confines  of  reason,  but  it  is  only  a 
specimen  of  its  kind  and  it  does  not  reflect  that  it  is  itself  which  lives, 
it  has  no  consciousness  of  a  personal  existence. — /.  //".  Sul'ivan. 


THE  SOUL  87 

THE  SOUL  INCAPABLE  OF  CORKUPTION 

It  has  been  clearly  demonstrated  by  psychologists  that  the  soul 
is  a  simple  or  indivisible  substance;  spiritual  in  its  nature;  and  not 
intrinsically  dependent  on  the  body  for  its  existence,  or  even  for  its 
action.  Now,  such  a  substance  is  incapable  of  corruption,  either 
directly  or  indirectly.  It  is  obviously  incapable  of  corruption  directly, 
since  it  is  not  made  up  of  distinct  parts,  and  can  not  therefore  be 
resolved  into  anything  else,  as,  for  instance,  water  may  be  resolved 
into  two  gases.  But  it  is  likewise  incapable  of  corruption  or  distribu- 
tion even  indirectly,  for  it  does  not  intrinsically  depend  on  the  body 
for  its  being,  as  the  whiteness  of  the  snow-flakes  depends  upon  the . 
snow,  and  must  vanish  as  soon  as  the  particle  in  which  it  adheres 
is  melted  by  the  warmth.  Hence  the  human  soul  can  not  come  to 
an  end  in  either  of  these  ways. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaiighan. 

WITHOUT  IMMORTALITY  OF  THE   SOUL   LIFE  A  FEARFUL   DISORDER 

Without  the  immortality  of  the  soul  human  life  would  be  a 
puzzle,  nay,  more,  the  wild  discohcrent  dream  of  a  maniac.  Whereas 
we  discover  an  admirable  order  and  harmony  in  the  material  universe, 
there  is  chaos,  jarring  discord  in  the  moral  world.  In  the  former 
everything  is  well  balanced  according  to  measure  and  weight;  in 
the  latter  everything  runs  riot.  The  sinner  outwits  the  honest; 
justice  is  persecuted;  the  good  designs  of  the  pious  are  thwarted, 
not  only  by  wicked  men,  but  by  adverse  circumstances,  as  if  Heaven 
had  foresworn  their  cause ;  innocence  is  hunted  down,  captured, 
slandered  and  starved  into  submission  by  knaves ;  virtue  is  barely 
permitted  to  exist;  it  is  scorned  and  ekes  out  a  wretched,  ignominious 
existence.  Righteousness  succumbs,  vice  triumphs ;  the  pious  shed 
bitter  tears  and  the  wicked  smile  in  the  broad  light  of  day.  This 
man,  though  he  works  and  toils  day  after  day,  struggles  in  vain 
against  poverty  and  sees  the  pinched  faces  of  his  little  ones  wane. 
Next  door,  however,  lives  a  prosperous  scoundrel  enjoying  splendid 
health,  commanding  the  esteem  of  his  fellowmen  and  gorging  himself 
with  ill-gotten  goods.  Here  is  the  debauched,  whose  health  does 
not  fail  despite  his  revelries;  there  lives  a  sober,  temperate  man, 
who  drags  through  life  a  diseased  body. 

Why?  Why  is  this?  Who  can  explain  this  horrible  chaos? 
Indeed,  we  must  say,  if  there  is  no  immortality,  there  is  nothing  to 
relieve  this  fearful  disorder. — Charles  Bruchl. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE  BELIEF  IN  IMMORTALITY 

Voltaire,  the  most  frivolous  mocker  of  everything  holy,  had  many 
a  glimpse  of  the  truth.  One  night  his  friends  visiting  him  railed  at 
religion,  especially  at  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  when  he  interrupted 
their  discourse,  saying:  "Friends,  restrain  your  tongues,  lest  my  ser- 
vants hear  you.     I  do  not  wish  to  be  dispatched  this  night." 

THE   SEED  OF  IMMORTALITY  IS  IN   OUR   HEARTS 

A  man  who  had  lost  his  faith  saw  a  Sister  of  Mercy.  She  was 
young  and  beautiful  and  had  forsaken  a  wealthy  and  comfortable 
home.  Touched  at  this  spectacle  the  unbeliever  asked  her:  "Dear 
sister,  would  you  not  be  cruelly  deceived  if  there  were  no  life  here- 


68      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

after?"  The  sister  replied,  and  there  was  a  reflection  of  Heaven  on 
her  face:  "I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean;  I  possess  and  enjoy 
this  coming  happiness  already  in  this  life."  Truly,  it  lies  at  the 
bottom  of  our  hearts,  this  hope  or  fear  of  immortality;  the  consoling 
or  dreadful  certainty  of  an  after  life. — Charles  Briiehl, 

EVIMOKTALITY  OF  LIFE  AXD  LOVE 

Here  is  a  son,  a  good  and  dutiful  boy,  kneeling  at  the  deathbed 
of  his  mother.  Her  life  is  fast  ebbing  away;  he  watches  the  love- 
light  fade  in  her  eyes.  He  rises  and  bends  over  her  face.  For  the 
last  time  she  gives  him  a  kind  and  loving  look  and  then  a  sigh ;  she 
has  passed  away.  Tell  that  boy:  "Your  mother  is  no  more;  all  that 
remains  is  but  this  lifeless  form:  her  soul  was  but  vapour;  it  has 
vanished."  And  then  for  a  moment  he  will  forget  his  loss,  a  fierce 
anger  at  your  frivolity  will  boil  in  his  heart  and  he  will  shout  at 
you:  "She  lives.  She  loves.  She  will  forever  live  and  love.  That 
glorious  wealth  of  love  in  her  soul  will  never  die.  And  I  know,  those 
kind  eyes  will  once  more  beam  on  me  again  and  her  soul  will  hover 
around  her  boy."  That  is  the  instinct  of  nature.  And  that  instinct 
is  true. — Charles  Bruehl. 

AN  EMPEROR'S  SOUL 

Otto,  Emperor  of  Germany,  on  one  occasion,  while  on  his  way  to 
Rome,  passed  near  the  dwelling-place  of  a  hermit  named  Nilus, 
known  throughout  the  country  for  his  holiness  of  life.  The  emperor 
having  called  on  Nilus,  and  having  been  treated  hospitably,  said  to 
him  before  leaving:  "Nilus,  ask  of  me  a  favour,  and  I  will  joyfully 
grant  it."  "All  I  ask,"  replied  the  Saint,  "is  that  you  save  your  soul; 
for  although  you  are  an  emperor,  you,  like  other  men,  must  die  and 
be  judged.  Therefore,  have  a  care  for  your  eternal  welfare."  Otto 
withdrew,  but  he  never  forgot  the  hermit's  advice,  and  finally  died 
a  holy  death. 

THE  V.^LUE  OF  A  SOUL 

Horace  Mann  (Non-Cath.)  once  made  an  address  at  the  founding 
of  a  reformatory,  and  during  his  remarks  he  said  that  its  existence 
v-"as  justified  if  it  saved  a  single  soul.  After  the  address  a  man  came 
to  him  and  said:  "You,  surely,  do  not  mean  that.  All  this  expenditure 
of  means  and  energy  would  be  too  much,  if  we  were  to  accomplish 
the  salvation  of  only  one  boy."  Horace  Mann  replied:  "It  would  not 
be,  if  it  were  my  boy."  The  estimate  of  the  value  of  a  soul  must 
be  made  by  love.  Consider,  then,  how  God  values  the  least  of  His 
children.  He  who  loves  them  with  an  infinite  love. 

St.  Francis  Xavier  was  one  day  sent  for  by  a  poor  Indian  to 
baptize  his  child,  who  was  dying.  The  Saint  went  immediatelv.  and 
baptized  the  child.  It  died  soon  afterwards.  When  he  saw  that  the 
child  was  dead,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  Heaven,  and  broke  forth  into 
a  hymn  of  joy.  The  people  wondered  when  they  saw  this,  and  asked 
him  why  he  was  filled  with  joy,  when  those  around  him  wept  with 
sorrow.  He  said:  "Many  and  painful  have  been  the  journeys  I  have 
undertaken  since  I  came  to  India.    This  day  I  am  sufficiently  rewarded 


ETERNITY  09 

for  them  all,  because  I  have  been  able  to  clothe  this  soul  with  grace, 
and  to  send  one  child  more  into  Heaven  to  glorify  God." 

THE  SOUL  IN  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE  AND  IX  THE  STATE  OF  SIX 

A  certain  painter  once  met  a  little  girl  of  such  surpassing  beauty 
that  he  sought  permission  to  paint  her  picture,  and  under  this  picture 
he  wrote  "Heaven."  Years  had  gone  by,  when  the  same  artist 
happened  to  be  in  a  court  room  and  saw  a  dissolute  woman  dragged 
before  the  judge.  The  appearance  of  this  woman  was  so  repulsive 
and  the  unmistakable  marks  of  vice  and  crime  made  her  face  so 
wicked  and  hideous,  that  he  made  a  sketch  of  her  and  wrote  under 
it  "Hell",  as  a  contrast  to  the  other  picture.  The  dissolute  woman 
had  observed  the  artist's  scrutiny  and  she  found  an  opportunity  to 
tell  him  that  she  was  the  girl  whom  he  painted  years  ago  on  account 
of  her  great  beauty.  The  artist  was  shocked  to  see  the  destruction 
that  vice  and  dissipation  had  wrought  in  the  fair  creature  he  had 
so  greatly  admired.  The  two  pictures  represent  the  soul  in  the  state 
of  grace,  and  made  repulsive  and  hideous  by  mortal  sin. 


ETERNITY 

THE  IMPULSE  TOWARDS  ETERNAL  LIFE 

The  duration  of  our  mortal  life,  however  long  it  be,  however 
energetic  and  successful,  never  satisfies  the  craving  for  life.  No 
man's  cup  of  life  is  ever  full.  Whether  he  has  lived  for  pleasure,  or 
for  usefulness,  for  business,  for  possessions,  or  for  God,  he  can 
never  feel  that  his  faculties  are  exhausted;  the  weakness  and  im- 
potence of  age  come  upon  him  like  an  external  and  hostile  force 
that  crushes  his  powers  by  violence.  There  is  an  unconquerable 
life  in  him,  which  revolts  against  his  physical  decay,  and  even  his 
mental  decay.  He  may  be  unable  to  exercise  any  of  his  powers,  but 
there  is  something  in  him  which  tells  him  that  he  has  not  arrived 
at  the  final  natural  term  of  existence,  and  that  his  destiny  is  not  fully 
accomplished.  The  wish  to  live  longer,  to  do  more,  is  evidence  that 
all  is  not  exhausted  in  the  most  decrepid,  worn-out  man ;  the  ex- 
istence of  a  craving  is  proof  that  an  object  exists  for  it.  No  man 
who  has  ever  lived  is  like  a  forest  tree,  which  has  flourished  for 
centuries,  putting  forth  and  shedding  its  verdure  year  by  year,  work- 
ing its  chemical  action  on  the  air,  contributing  its  share  of  fertility 
to  the  soil,  and  at  last  falling  to  earth  through  decay,  and  giving 
back  every  particle  of  its  substance  to  mix  with  the  earth  and  sup- 
port other  forms  of  life.  The  tree  has  expended  the  whole  of  its 
forces;  all  it  has  received  in  the  way  of  moisture  and  sunshine  has 
produced  its  full  effect  on  the  substance  of  the  tree,  and  then  upon 
the  earth  and  atmosphere.  But  in  man  a  residue  of  force  survives  all 
his  action;  an  impulse  towards  life  remains,  which  has  never  yet 
found  adequate  employment  on  any  created  object;  and  that  residue 
of  vital  force  is  greater  than  all  the  force  he  has  expended  in  life, 
it  is  in  a  manner  infinite;  it  is  the  principal  force  or  impulse  with 
which  he  has  been  endowed,  although  he  may  make  but  little  account 
of  it,  it  is  the  impulse  towards  eternal  life  in  God. — Bishop  Bellord. 


70      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

A  PKOTESTA>'T   rOET'S   LONGING   AFTER  ETERNAL   LUE 

Whatever  crazy  sorrow  saith, 

No  life  that  breathes  with  human  breath 

Has  ever  truly  longed  for  death ; 

O  life,  not  death,  for  which  we  pant. 

More  life  and  fuller  that  I  want. 

— Tennyson. 

ETERNITY 

What  then  is  this  eternity?  It  is  life  without  end!  Try  to 
realize  what  that  means.  As  you  pass  along  the  road  and  lanes 
day  by  dav,  you  see  so  many  whose  faces  are  well  known  to  you  and 
familiar,  and  others  again  whom  you  meet  for  the  first  time  and 
notice  so  little,  that  you  may  be  hardly  said  to  notice  them  at  all. 
Do  you  ever  think  that  every  single  one  of  them,  strangers  and  ac- 
quaintances, shall  live  forever,  and  that  you  will  see  them  all  again 
in  eternity?  When  you  read  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  victims 
of  God's  righteous  indignation — the  thousands  who  were  swallowed 
up  in  the  flood — those  sinful  inhabitants  of  the  accursed  cities  of 
the  plain,  who  perished  in  that  pitiless  rain  of  fire ;  and  so  many 
others,  whose  history  is  handed  down  through  the  long  ages  as  a 
warning  to  mankind — do  you  ever  pause  to  think  that  they  are  still 
alive?  Pilate  and  Judas  and  the  Jewish  priests — Herod  and  his 
mocking  courtiers,  the  wretch  whose  sinful  hand  drove  the  cruel 
nails  through  the  sacred  Hands  and  Feet  of  Jesus  Christ! — all,  all 
are  living  still,  and  will  live  forever.  And  you  and  I  will  live  for- 
ever. We  must,  must,  whether  we  wish  or  no,  and  could  we  raise 
the  dark  veil  of  the  future  and  look  forward  through  a  million  years, 
we  should  see  ourselves  still  alive  and  so  full  of  real  life  and  real 
consciousness  that  nothing  could  possiby  destroy  it,  save  the  Al- 
mighty hand  of  God. — Raphael  Moss,  0.  P. 

We  see  noxi'  through  a  glass  in  a  dark  manner;  but  then  face  to 
face.    Now  I  knozv  in  part ;  but  then  I  shall  know  even  as  I  am  known. 

—I.  Cor.   XHT,   12. 

This  is  Eternal  Life:  that  they  may  knozv  Thee,  the  only  true  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ,  Whom  Thou  Iwst  sent. — John  XVH,  3. 

ETERNITY:  ITS  DURATION 

Let  us  wander  down  to  the  seashore,  when  the  tide  is  out,  and 
contemplate  the  unnumbered  sands.  Look  to  right  and  to  left.  See! 
As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  stretches  out  the  silvery  line  of  sand. 
Mile  after  mile  it  extends,  all  along  the  coast  of  our  great  country. 
Now  let  each  tiny  grain  of  sand  represent  a  naught.  Having  placed 
our  unit  "i,"  we  put  one  grain  of  sand  beside  it,  and  then  another, 
and  then  another,  and  another,  and  yet  another,  until  we  have  used 
up  all  the  sands  on  all  the  seashores.  What  period  of  time  would 
that  figure  represent?  Then  grains,  representing  ten  naughts,  would 
stand  for  ten  thousand  million  years ;  i.  c.,  10,000,000,000.  Twenty 
grains,  representing  twenty  naughts,  would  raise  the  number  to 
100,000,000,000,000,000,000  years.  Which  of  you,  my  dear  brethren, 
can  realize  a  duration  such  as  that  ?     Few  of  you  can  even  read  such 


ETERNITY  71 

a  figure,  and  probably  none  of  you  can  at  all  estimate  its  true  value. 
Yet  we  are  at  the  very  outset  of  our  calculations.  We  have  used 
up  but  twenty  grains:  less  than  we  might  pick  up  by  pressing  a 
moistened  finger-tip  against  the  sand!  If  but  twenty  grains  represent 
a  period  so  wholly  and  utterly  unthinkable,  what  period  would  be 
represented  by  a  shovelful  of  sand  disposed  and  arranged  according 
to  a  similar  plan?  And  what  period  would  be  represented  by  a 
cartload?  Here  we  are  already  out  of  our  depth,  and  utterly  at 
sea.  Yet  what,  after  all,  is  one  cartload  compared  to  the  masses 
of  sand,  stretching  for  hundreds  and  thousands  of  miles  along  count- 
less shore,  all  the  world  over?  When  all  these  grains,  each  of  which 
represents  a  naught,  are  added  one  by  one  to  the  original  figure, 
then  pound  the  rocks  into  powder  and  break  up  the  vast  mountain 
ranges,  and  having  reduced  the  whole  to  the  consistency  of  sand, 
add  these  grains  also  to  the  existing  figure,  and  try  to  imagine  what 
the  sum  will  be  and  the  duration  it  represents. 

— Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

THE  SKEPTIC'S  DREAM 

A  certain  doctor  who  doubted  the  existence  of  his  soul,  and  in 
consequence  believed  that  there  was  no  future  life — that  all  ended 
with  death,  one  night  had  a  dream :  A  youth,  standing  before  him  in 
shining  garments,  questioned  him.  "Are  you  asleep  or  awake?"  The 
doctor  answered,  "I  am  asleep."  "Can  you  see  me?"  the  youth 
continued.  A  decided  "Yes"  was  the  response.  "How  do  you  see 
me?"  the  visitor  inquired,  "do  you  see  me  with  your  eyes?"  "No," 
replied  the  doctor,  "I  know  not  how  I  see  you."  "Do  you  hear  me?" 
queried  the  young  man,  "do  you  hear  me  with  your  ears?"  "Yes,  I 
hear  you,"  was  the  answer,  "but  not  with  my  ears.  I  know  not  by 
what  means  I  do  hear  you."  Thereupon  the  angel,  for  such  the 
youth  was,  said  to  him:  "The  action  of  your  senses  is  now  suspended, 
yet  you  see,  hear  and  speak.  A  time  will  come  when  you  will  not 
be  able  to  use  these  senses  of  yours,  yet  seeing,  hearing,  and  speaking 
will  be  as  easy  for  you  then  as  it  is  at  the  present  moment."  Then 
the  angel  disappeared  and  the  doctor  awoke,  but  from  that  day  he 
firmly  believed  in  the  existence  of  a  future  life. — St.  Augustine. 

THE  THOUGHT  OF  ETERNm 

When  Ven.  Magdalen  Dubois  was  four  old,  she  was  standing 
at  the  door  of  her  father's  house  as  a  funeral  procession  was  passing 
by.  She  asked  her  nurse  what  they  were  doing.  "They  are  carrying 
the  body  of  a  young  woman  to  the  grave,  because  she  is  dead."  "And 
must  I  also  die?"  asked  little  Magdalen. 

"Yes,  my  child,  we  must  all  die,  and  our  souls  must  go  to  Heaven, 
or  to  Hell,  for  all  eternity."  "And  how  long  is  eternity?  Is  it 
longer  than  one  day?"  "Ah!  my  child,  eternity  has  no  end;  eternity 
means  for  ever  and  ever." 

Magdalen  said  no  more,  but  from  that  moment  the  thought  of 
eternity  never  left  her  mind.  Sometimes  she  was  heard  to  say  to 
herself:  "An  eternity  in  Heaven,  or  an  eternity  in  Hell.  We  must 
all  one  day  die,  and  when  this  life  is  over  there  begins  one  that  will 
never  end."  Magdalen  lived  a  holy  life,  and  her  death  was  that  of 
the  Saints. 


72      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  L\STRUCTIONS 

DEATH 

DXATH.   TITE  MOST  IMPORTANT   ACT   OF  OER   MVES 

However  little  we  think  of  death,  it  is  the  most  important  act  of 
our  lives.  Upon  that  one  act  a  whole  eternity  hinges.  Every  act  of 
our  lives  leads  up  to  it.  Apart  altogether  from  its  consequences,  if 
we  had  no  eyes  of  faith  to  see  the  future,  death  is  such  a  solemn, 
dreadful  thing,  it  is  wrapped  in  so  much  mystery,  that  the  wonder 
is  how  men  can  ever  cease  to  think  of  it.  How  can  the  thought 
ever  die  from  the  minds  of  men  that  they  will  all  be  called  upon  to 
make  a  change,  of  whose  nature  no  man  knows  anything,  whose 
consequences  we  ourselves  must  determine? — P.  A.  Slicchan. 

Amen,  amen  I  say  to  yoii,  unless  the  grain  of  wheat  falling  into  the 
ground  dU', — Itself  remamcth  alone.  But  if  it  die,  it  brinoeth  forth 
much  fruit. — John  XH,  24  25. 

By  one  ma^i  sin  entered  into  this  world,  and  by  sin,  death:  and  so 
death  passed  upon  aU  mev.  in  whom  all  have  sinned. — Rom.  V,  12. 

Whx'ie  we  are  in  the  body,  we  are  absent  from  the  Lord. — But  we 
are  confident,  and  hav(  a  good  xvill  to  be  absent  rather  from  the  body 
and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord. — H  Cor.  V,  6,  8. 

Jt  is  Thou.  O  Lord,  that  hast  power  of  life  and  death,  and  Icadest 
dozini  tu  the  gates  of  death,  and  bnngest  back  again.  But  it  is  im- 
possiblt  to  escape  Thy  hand. —  JVis.  XVI,  13-15. 

All  flesh  shall  perish  together,  and  man  sJiall  return  info  ashes. 

—Job  XXXIV,  15. 

By  the  envy  of  the  devil  death  came  info  the  world: — And  they 
follcii   him  that  are  of  his  side. — Wis.  II,  24-25. 

EVEn?     DAI    WE    DIE 

Withir  us,  death  is  busy.  Every  day  we  die,  not  only  because 
every  day  w^  approach  nearer  the  end  of  our  lives,  but  because  every 
day  there  is  going  on  within  us  a  decay  ihat  is  a  kind  of  slow  death. 
Everv  breath  we  breathe  makes  a  demand  upon  our  vital  powers  and 
decreases  their  strength  Every  exertion  we  make  is  so  much  strength 
that  is  spent;  we  are  tired,  hungry,  thirsty;  it  is  a  tlow  death,  a  decay 
that  is  going  on  within  us,  and  we  have  recourse  to  such  aitificial 
means  as  sleep,  food,  and  drink  to  stop  that  decay  and  renew  our 
exhausted  powers  There  are  few  of  us,  too,  that  have  not  at  least 
one  friend  in  the  world  of  spirits.  A  friend  that  lived  and  breathed 
and  walked  amongst  men,  but  some  one  day  he  grew  deaf  rtud  dumb 
and  lifeless,  and  men  lemoved  him  from  among  thtni,  and  he  became 
invisible  to  us,  and  it  was  all  explained  by  '.aying  that  he  was  dead. 
And  thus  this  sermon  upon  death  is  forever  driven  ir.to  uut  tyes>. 
yet  how  few  have  an  active  faith  or  belief  in  it,  ho\v  vc/  few  live 
as  it  they  were  to  die.— P.  A.  Sheehan. 


DEATH  73 

OEATII  AN   ANGEL   OF  XJCHT 

Death  is  a  destroyer.  As  a  weird  phantom,  a  hideous  spectre,  it 
passes  over  the  earth,  robbing  us  of  cur  loved  ones,  sparing  neither 
age  nor  sex  nor  rank.  But  to  believers,  to  those  who  hope,  who 
realize  that  "Christ  hath  risen,"  that  "death  shall  no  longer  have 
dominion  over  Him,"  it  is  no  longer  an  angel  of  destruction,  but  an 
angel  of  light,  setting  the  captive  free,  bidding  the  lame  walk,  the 
blind  see,  the  weary  to  be  at  rest.  Death  now  only  strikes  off  the 
prisoner's  fetters,  relieves  the  captive  spirit,  aids  us  to  commend 
the  spirit  to  the  keeping  of  Him  who  gave  it.  Be  it  ever  therefore 
our  aim  in  life  so  to  act,  that  when  death  comes  round,  we  may  calmly 
"bow  the  head  in  obedience  to  God's  call,  and  give  up  the  ghost,  i.  e., 
surrender  our  bodily  life,  our  hearts  and  its  best  fruits  to  Him  Who 
is  the  Father  of  all,  and  Who  made  all  things  for  Himself." 

— IV.    Graham. 

God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes;  and  death  shall  be 
no  more,  nor  mourning,  nor  crying,  nor  sorrozv  shall  be  any  more,  for 
the  former  things  are  passed  away. — Apoc.  XXI,  4. 

The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  come  into  Sion  with  praise,  and 
Everlasting  Joy  shall  be  upon  their  heads.  They  shall  obtain  joy  and 
gladness,  and  sorrow  and  mourning  shall  flee  away. — Is.  XXXV,  10. 

He  was  taken  away  lest  wickedness  should  alter  his  understanding, 
or  deceit  beguile  his  soul. — For  the  bewitching  of  vanity  obscureth 
good  things,  and  the  wandering  of  concupiscence  overturneth  the 
innocent  mind. — IVisd.  IV,  11-12. 


DEATH 


It  is  but  crossing  with  abated  breath, 
And  with  set  face,  a  little  strip  of  sea, 
To  find  the  loved  ones  waiting  on  the  shore, 
More  beautiful,  more  precious  than  before. 

I  can  not  make  it  seem  a  day  to  dread. 

When  from  this  dear  country  I  shall  journey  out. 
To  that  still  dearer  country  of  the  dead 

And  join  the  lost  ones  so  long  dreamt  about. 


I  never  stand  above  a  bier  and  see 

The  seal  of  death  set  on  some  well-loved  face. 
But  that  I  think,  "One  more  to  welcome  me 
When  I  shall  cross  the  intervening  space 
Between  this  land  and  that  one  ever  there, 
One  more  to  make  the  strange  "Beyond"  seem  fair. 

—Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  (Non-Cath). 

I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  saying  to  me :  Write :  Blessed  are  the 


74      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

dead  who  die  in  the  Lord.     From  henceforth  note,  saith  the  Spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labours;  for  their  irorks  follow  them. 

—Apoc.  XIV,  13. 

THE   VANITY  OF  WORLDLY  THINGS  AT   THE   MO»IENT   OF   DEATH 

Poor  worldings !  of  all  the  riches  which  they  acquired,  of  all  the 
pomps  which  they  displayed  in  this  life,  what  shall  they  find  at  death? 
They  have  slept  their  sleep:  and  all  the  men  of  riches  have  found 
nothing  in  their  hands.  The  dream  of  this  present  life  shall  be  over 
at  death,  and  they  shall  have  acquired  nothing  for  eternity.  Ask 
of  so  many  great  men  of  this  earth — of  the  princes  and  emperors, 
who,  during  life,  have  abounded  in  riches,  honours,  and  pleasures, 
and  are  at  this  moment  in  hell — what  now  remains  of  all  the  riches 
that  they  possessed  in  this  world?  They  answer  with  tears :  "Nothing, 
nothing."  And  of  so  many  honours  enjoyed — of  so  many  past  pleas- 
ures— of  so  many  pomps  and  triumphs,  what  now  remains?  They 
answer  with  howling:  "Nothing,  nothing." — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

WILLINGLY  ACCEPTING  DEATH 

He  that  offers  to  God  his  death  makes  an  act  of  love  most  perfect 
that  is  possible  for  him  to  perform;  because,  by  cheerfully  embracing 
death  to  please  God,  at  the  time  and  in  the  manner  which  God  ordains, 
he  becomes  like  the  martyrs,  the  entire  merit  of  whose  martyrdom 
consisted  in  suffering  and  dying  to  please  God. 

— St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

To  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain. — And  if  to  live  in  the 
Hesh,  this  is  the  fruit  of  labour,  and  what  I  shall  choose  I  know  not. — 
But  I  am  straitened  between  two,  having  a  desire  to  be  dissolved,  and 
to  be  with  Christ. — Philipp.  I,  21-23. 

THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  DEATH 

On  the  isth  of  August,  1824,  Father  Papillon  was  preaching  a 
sermon  in  presence  of  a  large  and  appreciative  audience  in  the  Chapel 
of  the  French  Embassy  in  London.  He  was  eloquently  discoursing 
on  the  value  of  time,  and  how  it  should  be  employed  in  the  service 
of  the  Creator,  who  has  given  to  every  one  his  allotted  span  to  be 
used  in  arriving  at  the  end  of  our  creation — the  eternal  beatitude  of 
heaven.  He  had  just  said  the  words,  "How  precious  is  the  time  of 
our  life,  because  we  never  know  what  moment  the  Almighty  shall 
summon  us  before  His  dread  tribunal  to  give  an  account  of  all  our 
actions,"  when  he  himself  was  suddenly  called  by  death  before  that 
same  tribunal  of  judgment  that  he  was  warning  others  to  prepare  for. 

PREPARATION   FOR  DEATH 

Why  dost  thou  not  provide  for  thyself  against  the  day  of  judgment, 
when  no  man  can  be  excused  or  defended  by  another,  but  every  one 
shall  have  enough  to  do  to  answer  for  himself? — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  THOUGHT  OF  DEATH 

In  all  things  look  to  thy  end,  and  how  thou  shalt  be  able  to  stand 
before   a  severe  Judge,   to   whom   nothing  is  hidden :  who  takes  no 


DEATH  75 

bribes,  nor  receives  excuses,  but  will  judge  that,  which  is  just.  O 
most  wretched  and  foolish  sinner,  what  answer  wilt  thou  make  to 
God,  who  knows  all  thy  sins;  thou  who  sometimes  art  afraid  of  the 
looks  of  an  angry  man? — Thomas  d.  Kempis. 

THE   CHRISTIAN'S   DEATH 

Christ  has  risen  and  death's  terrors  flee  before  Him.  Of  the 
Christian  who  faces  death  in  the  calm  spirit  of  his  Master,  it  can 
be  truly  said,  in  the  words  of  a  Protestant  poet,  that, 

".     .     .     .     dying  not  as  a  coward  that  dies 
And  dares  not  look  in  death's  dim  eyes. 
Straight  as  the  stars  on  seas  and  skies. 
Whence  moon  and  sun  recoil  and  rise, 
He  looked  on  life  and  death  and  slept." 

— A.  Simnhurnc. 

TWO  DEATHS 

The  earth  saw  two  deaths,  one  of  them  supremely  happy  and  the 
other  supremely  sorrowful.  The  eyes  of  the  chaste,  sinless  Joseph 
were  closed  by  the  hands  of  Jesus,  and  Mary  was  kneeling  at  his 
side.  His  death  was  supremely  happy;  he  is  therefore  the  patron 
of  a  happy  deathbed.  I  may  add  that  a  Saint  has  told  that  the  efficacy 
of  his  intercession  is  only  second  to  that  of  Mary.  The  other  death 
was  supremely  sorrowful;  and  the  same  sword  that  pierced  Jesus 
pierced  the  Mother  of  Sorrows  that  stood  by  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 

— P.  A.  Shechan. 

THE  SIGHT  OF  A  DEAD  BODY 

The  queen  of  Spain  had  died  far  away  from  Madrid,  and  Duke 
Francis  Borgia  was  ordered  to  bring  her  body  with  a  solemn  funeral 
cortege  to  the  capital.  Arrived  there,  he  had  to  verify  before  the 
court  the  corpse  as  being  that  of  the  late  queen.  On  opening  the 
coffin,  what  an  awful  sight  met  his  gaze:  the  queen's  body  had  not 
only  lost  its  beauty  but  was  now  a  mass  of  corruption,  fearful  to 
behold !  Francis  there  and  then  resolved,  at  this  sight  of  the  end 
of  earthly  beauty,  riches  and  honours,  to  serve  God  alone,  and  no 
longer  to  seek  or  care  for  things  earthly.  He  kept  his  word  and 
became  a  great  Saint. 

WEALTH  NO   PROTECTION   AGAINST   DEATH 

A  wealthy  man  there  was,  who  erected  for  himself  a  magnificent 
mansion.  Many  visitors  came  to  see  the  beautiful  edifice,  and  one  day 
the  wealthy  man  invited  a  pious  hermit  to  come  and  see  his  gorgeous 
palace.  He  took  the  hermit  through  the  beautiful  building,  and  finally 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  it.  The  hermit  said:  "This  is  indeed  a 
most  beautiful  place  to  live  in,  but  the  house  has  one  fault,  there 
is  one  door  too  many."  Much  astonished  at  this  answer  the  wealthy 
man  asked  what  door  that  was,  and  the  hermit  replied  it  was  the 
door  through  which  the  owner  would  one  day  be  carried  out  dead. 
The  happiness  of  living  in  this  beautiful  house  would  therefore  be 
of  short  duration,  and,  what  then? 

NO   EARTHLY  POSSESSIONS  AVAIL   AT  DEATH 

A  certain  powerful  ruler  in  the  East,   Saladin,  lay  at  the  point 


re      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

of  death.  Seeing  his  end  approaching,  he  commanded  one  of  his 
courtiers  to  ride  through  the  whole  city,  bearing  on  the  point  of  his 
spear  the  winding-sheet  in  which  he  would  so  soon  be  wrapped,  and 
to  cry  with  a  loud  voice,  saying:  "This  is  all  that  the  great  Saladin, 
the  terror  of  his  enemies,  the  mighty  potentate  of  the  East,  can  take 
with  him  to  the  grave,  out  of  all  the  riches  and  treasures  he  possessed." 

ONCE  WE  HAVE  DIED  WE  CANNOT  CHANGE  OUK  WTLL 

In  the  next  world  there  are  no  longer  the  conditions  for  a  change 
of  will.  The  night  has  come  when  no  man  can  work,  probation  is 
over,  faith,  conflict,  victory,  merit,  do  not  belong  to  that  sphere. 
Above  all,  grace  has  ceased,  and  grace  is  the  necessary  source  of 
meritorious  action.  We  cannot  change  our  minds,  turn  to  God,  call 
upon  His  name,  without  a  special  influx  of  suggestion  and  strength 
from  Him.  It  is  so  easy  now  that  we  think  it  depends  entirely  on  a 
man's  own  self,  and  we  forget  that  every  such  change  and  repentance 
is  due  to  a  special  intervention  of  God  that  may  well  be  called 
miraculous.  In  the  next  world  this  action  of  God  has  ceased,  and 
man  is  utterly  unable  to  initiate  such  a  motion  of  himself.  "He  shall 
not  give  to  God  his  ransom,  or  the  pprice  of  the  redemption  of  his 
soul.  He  shall  labour  for  ever,  and  shall  live  to  the  end"  (Ps. 
xlviii,  8-10). — Bishop  Bcllord. 

WHO  ARE  THE  BETTER  OFF? 

Some  men  are  punished  only  in  this  world,  others  in  the  other 
world,  others  here  and  there.    Who  are  the  better  off? — St.  Theresa. 

THE  BUSINESS  OF  DYING  BETTER  UNDERSTOOD  BY  CATHOLICS 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  (Ncn-Cath.),  being  asked  his  opinion  as 
a  physician  on  the  effect  of  religious  beliefs  on  the  minds  of  the  dying, 
made  this  curious  reply:  "So  far  as  I  have  observed  persons  nearing 
the  end  of  life,  the  Roman  Catholics  understand  the  business  of  dying 
better  than  Protestants.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  Roman  Catholics 
on  their  dying  beds,  and  it  always  appeared  to  me  that  they  accepted 
the  inevitable  with  the  composure  which  showed  that  their  belief, 
whether  or  net  the  best  to  live  by,  was  a  better  one  to  die  by  than 
most  of  the  harder  ones  that  have  replaced  it." 

HEROIC  DEATHS  OF  CATHOLIC  SISTERS 

An  anonymous  Protestant  minister,  wishing  to  eulogize  five 
Catholic  Sisters  who  had  died  of  the  plague  in  China,  wrote  some 
touchinsT  verses  in  which  he  first  alluded  to  the  bravery  of  soldiers 
dying  "hero  deaths  for  God  and  Fatherland,"  and  added: 

"We  call  them  brave !     But  brave,  ah  !  braver  still, 
Tliose  gentle  Sisters  in  the  plague-strick'n  ward 
Who  nursed  each  other,  though  they  knew  no  skill 
Could  save  their  lives,  the  fever  once  begun. 
And  fell  at  dutv's  call,  one  after  one. 
We  call  them  brave !    With  God  is  their  reward." 

THE  DEAD  SOON  FORGOTTEN 

Trust  not  in  thy  friends  and  kinsfolk,  nor  put  oflF  the  welfare  of 


DEATH  11 

thy  soul  to  hereafter;  fot  men  will  sooner  forget  thee  than  thou 
imaginest.  It  is  better  now  to  provide  in  time,  and  send  some  good 
before  thee,  than  to  trust  to  others  helping  thee  after  thy  death. 

— Thomas  a  Kempis. 

HOPE  AJJD  FEAR  IN  THINKING  OF  OUR  DEAD 

A  combination  of  hope  and  fear  is  the  ordinary  Catholic  sentiment 
when  we  think  of  our  dead.  A  want  of  hope  would  cause  despondency 
and  depression;  we  read  of  the  Emperor  Henry  III.  that  in  spite 
of  many  works  of  piety  and  charity  he  was  always  melancholy,  be- 
cause he  feared  that  his  father  was  in  hell,  in  consequence  of  the 
many  sins  of  simony  he  had  committed  in  the  appointment  of  bishops. 
A  want  of  hope  also  paralyzes  our  active  charity  toward  our  deceased 
friends  and  brethren.  This  is  also  the  case  when,  on  the  contrary, 
people  indiscriminately  canonize  all  those  that  have  passed  away; 
for,  if  they  are  in  Heaven,  they  do  not  need  our  prayers.  Do  these 
apparently  charitable  friends  realize  that  in  praising  their  departed 
they  not  only  show  indifference,  but  real  unkindness,  for  they  do  not 
assist  those  who,  in  the  words  of  Job,  appeal  to  them:  "Have  pity  on 
me,  have  pity  on  me,  at  least  you  my  friends,  because  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  has  touched  me"  (Job  xix,  21).  How  different  is  the 
attitude  of  those  who  understand  the  meaning  of  the  writer  of  our 
text:  "It  is  a  holy  and  wholesome  thought  to  pray  for  the  dead." 

—Lambert  Nolle.  0.  S.  B. 

FICTION— AND  FACT— ABOUT  THE  DEAD 

At  last  the  inevitable  hour  is  come.  He  dies — he  dies  quietly — his 
friends  are  satisfied  about  him.  They  return  thanks  that  God  has 
taken  him,  has  released  him  from  the  troubles  of  life  and  the  pains 
of  sickness;  "a  good  father,"  they  say  "a  good  neighbour,"  "sincerely 
lamented,"  "lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  friends."  Perhaps  they  add, 
"dying  with  a  firm  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God;" — nay,  he  has  need  of 
something  beyond  mercy,  he  has  need  of  some  attribute  which  is 
inconsistent  with  perfection,  and  which  is  not,  cannot  be,  in  the 
All-glorious,  All-holy  God; — "with  a  trust,"  forsooth,  "in  the  prom- 
ises of  the  Gospel,"  which  never  were  his,  or  were  early  forfeited. 
And  then,  as  time  travels  on,  every  now  and  then  is  heard  some 
passing  remembrance  of  him,  respectful  or  tender;  but  he  all  the 
while  (in  spite  of  this  false  world,  and  though  its  children  will  not 
have  it  so,  and  exclaim,  and  protest,  and  are  indignant  when  so 
solemn  a  truth  is  hinted  at),  he  is  lifting  up  his  eyes,  being  in  tor- 
ment, and  lies  "buried  in  hell." — Cardinal  Newman. 

THE  CARE  OF  THE  DEAD 

No  doubt  the  care  of  the  dead  must  be  second  in  importance  to  the 
care  of  the  living.  While  the  Christian  is  in  via  there  is  question 
of  his  salvation  or  damnation.  The  Church's  action  must  have  for 
its  object,  to  secure  for  him,  the  one  thing  necessary.  When  he  is 
in  iermino  that  question  is  decided,  and  the  business  of  the  Church 
is  to  hasten  his  beatitude,  to  alleviate  and  abridge  his  sufferings,  and 
to  treat  with  honour  his  mortal  remains.    This  is,  of  course,  of  much 


78      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

less  importance  than  placing  him  while  living  in  a  state  of  grace, 
but  yet  it  holds  a  large  and  prominent  place  in  the  ministrations  of 
religion. — Bishop  Moriarty. 

CKEMATION 

Cremation,  in  the  majority  of  cases  to-day,  is  knit  up  with  cir- 
cumstances that  make  it  a  public  profession  of  irreligion  and  mater- 
ialism. Freemasons  first  obtained  official  recognition  of  this  custom 
from  various  governments.  The  Church  has  opposed  from  the  be- 
ginning a  practice  which  has  been  used  chiefly  by  opponents  of  the 
Faith.  She  is  justified  by  reasons  of  Christian  charity  and  the 
interests  of  humanity.  It  is  unseemly  that  the  human  body,  once  the 
living  temple  of  God,  the  instrument  of  heavenly  virtue,  sanctified  so 
often  by  the  Sacraments,  should  finally  be  subjected  to  a  treatment 
that  filial  piety,  fraternal  and  conjugal  love,  or  even  mere  friendship, 
seems  to  revolt  against  as  inhuman.  Another  argument  against 
cremation,  and  drawn  from  medico-legal  sources,  lies  in  this  that 
cremation  destroys  all  signs  of  violence  or  traces  of  poison,  and  makes 
examination  impossible;  whereas  a  judicial  autopsy  is  always  possible 
after  exhumation,  even  after  some  months. — Catholic  Encyclopedia. 


THE  JUDGMENT 

ATTEB  DEATH:    THE  JirDGMENT 

"After  death,  the  judgment"  (Heb.  ix,  27),  Here  at  least  it 
might  be  thought  that  there  is  no  room  for  mercy.  The  time  of  trial 
and  grace  will  be  over.  We  pass  from  life  straight  to  the  tribunal 
of  God,  and  according  to  our  state  then  will  be  our  eternal  lot.  All 
have  reason  to  fear  that  day  when  God  "will  search  Jerusalem  with 
lamps"  (Soph,  i,  12),  when  He  will  "judge  justices,"  and  find  much 
to  reject  or  punish  even  in  what  we  have  accounted  our  good  deeds. 
There  will  be  a  terrible  account  to  render  for  those  who  have  been 
most  favoured  by  God  with  knowledge  and  grace.  Yet  the  judgment 
will  be  a  great  revelation  of  Divine  mercy,  too.  Then  we  shall  see 
how  wonderful  is  God's  goodness  to  those  who  seemed  to  be  hardly 
dealt  with,  how  He  compensates  them  for  the  ignorance  and  want  of 
grace  in  which  He  let  them  live,  what  large  allowance  He  makes 
for  their  goodwill  and  the  disadvantages  which  they  could  not  help. 
Our  Lord  frequently  indicates  this  in  the  Gospels,  as  when  He  tells 
of  many  not  visibly  of  the  kingdom  of  God  here,  who  will  yet  come 
from  the  east  and  the  west  to  the  eternal  kingdom,  while  its  children 
will  be  cast  out.  There  will  be  leniency  in  His  dealing  with  Sodom 
and  Gomorrha  as  compared  with  those  who  had  the  privilege  of 
seeing  the  Messiah  in  the  flesh ;  and  there  will  be  consideration  for 
those  who  knew  not  the  will  of  their  Lord,  which  many  who  know  it 
will  not  receive.  Cardinal  de  Lugo  says  that  many  will  be  accounted 
as  Christians  who,  in  ordinary  parlance,  are  not  Christians.  The 
great  day  of  the  Lord  will  be  as  much  a  revelation  of  unsuspected 
mercies  as  of  His  rigid  justice. — Bishop  Bellord. 

We  must  all  appear  before  the  Judgment  Seat  of  Christ,  that  every 


THE  JUDGMENT  79 

one  may  receive  the  proper  things  of  the  body  according  as  he  hath 
done,  zvhefhcr  it  be  good  or  evil. — II  Cor.  V,  lo. 

The  Lord  will  reward  vie  according  to  my  justice,  and  will  repay 
me  according  to  the  cleanness  of  my  hands: — Because  I  have  kept  the 
zi.a\'S  of  (he  Lord,  and  have  not  done  wickedly  against  my  God. 

—Ps.  XVII,  21-22. 

OUR  FINAL  CHOICE  MADE  LONG  BEFORE  DEATH 

It  seems  to  me  that  most  men  are  judged  in  this  world  long  be- 
fore the  hour  of  death.  That  God  does  not  wait  until  that  hour, 
when  the  senses  are  numbed  and  the  faculties  torpid,  to  propose  to 
the  Christian  soul  the  alternative  of  Heaven  and  hell.  But  that  He 
comes  to  us  when  we  are  in  the  full  possession  of  our  faculties 
and  asks  us  to  make  our  final  choice  between  Himself  and  everything 
that  is  not  He.  He  takes  no  unfair  advantage  of  us.  He  offers 
Himself  to  us  only  when  we  can  make  a  deliberate  choice  of  Him, 
and  although  in  His  mercy  He  sometimes  accepts  at  the  last  moment 
the  poor  wretched  remnants  of  a  life  that  has  been  spent  in  the 
service  of  His  enemy,  and  of  a  love  that  has  been  wasted  upon  the 
world,  this  is  not  His  rule.     It  is  the  exception. — P.  A.  Shcehan. 

THE  JUDG3IENT— A  MIRROR 

The  judgment  of  God  may  be  compared  to  a  mirror.  It  is  not 
the  mirror's  fault  if  the  face  it  reflects  is  hideous. — St.  Jerome. 

JUDGES  OF  THIS  WORLD  AND  THE  ETERNAL  JTDGE 

Have  you  ever  considered  the  fear  and  terror  of  a  culprit  stand- 
ing before  even  a  mere  earthly  judge?  When  a  murderer  has  been 
caught  red-handed,  and  brought  before  the  magistrate,  his  whole 
courage  fails.  Though  it  is  but  a  human  judge,  a  man  like  him- 
self, and  though  the  very  worst  penalty  he  can  inflict  is  the  short- 
ening of  a  life,  which  must,  in  any  case,  terminate  in  a  few  years, 
yet  the  unhappy  criminal  trembles  with  terror.  At  the  sight  of 
this  human  official,  standing  up,  and  solemnly  pronouncing  the  sen- 
tence of  death,  how  often  even  the  most  hardened  offender  has 
been  known  to  faint  away  and  to  fall  back  trembling  into  the  hands 
of  his  jailers.  If  such  be  the  condition  of  one  in  presence  of  a  mere 
man,  invested  with  a  brief  authority,  who  shall  describe  the  condition 
of  a  sinner  in  the  presence  of  the  Infinite  and  Omnipotent  God. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

JUSTICE  AND  MERCY 

Terrible  is  the  judgment  of  God  if  He  judges  according  to  His 
justice,  even  more  terrible  if  He  judges  according  to  His  mercy. 

— St.  Theresa. 

THE  LAST  JUDGMENT 

So  important,  indeed,  does  the  Church  deem  reflection  on  the 
great  fact  of  the  last  Judgment,  that,  to  call  men's  attention  to  it 
she  begins  and  ends  the  liturgical  year  by  reading  for  the  Gospel  of 
the  day  the  portion  of  Holy  Writ  wherein  are  described  the  signs 
that  precede,  and  attend,  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  God,  in 
judgment.      Now   this   is   not   a   vague   shadowy   far-off  event,   that 


so      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

concerns  only  the  world  at  large;  but  an  intensely  personal  one,  since 
the  doom  of  the  whole  does  but  register  the  fate  of  each.  What  we 
say  of  the  general  Judgment  applies  to  the  judgment  that  awaits 
each  singly. — IV.  Graham. 

He  hath  appointed  a  day  zvhercin  He  will  judge  the  world  in  equity 
by  the  Man  Whom  He  hath  appointed,  giving  faith  to  all  by  raising 
Him  up  from  the  dead. — Acts  XVII,  31. 

And  then  shall  appear  the  Sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  Heaven:  and 
then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn;  and  they  shall  see  the  Son 
of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  Heaven  with  much  Potver  and  Majesty. 
— And  He  shall  send  His  Angels  with  a  trumpet  and  a  great  voice,  and 
they  shall  gather  together  His  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  the 
farthest  parts  of  the  heavens  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  them. 

—Matt.  XXIV,  31-32. 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  His  Majesty,  and  all  the 
angels  zvith  Him,  then  shall  He  sit  upon  the  seat  of  His  Majesty: — 
And  all  nations  shall  be  gathered  together  before  Him,  and  fie  shall 
separate  them  otic  from  another,  as  the  shepherd  scparateth  the  sheep 
from  the  goats: — And  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand,  but 
the  goats  on  His  left. — Matt.  XXV,  31-33. 

I  will  gather  together  all  nations,  and  will  bring  them  down  into 
the  Valley  of  Josaphat:  and  I  zvill  plead  with  thejn  there  for  My 
people,  and  for  My  inheritance  Israel,  whom  they  have  scatiercd 
among  the  nations,  and  have  parted  My  Land. — Joel  III,  3,  2. 

As  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  appeareth  ez'en  into 
the  west:  so  shall  also  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be. — But  of 
that  day  and  hour  no  one  knozveth,  no,  not  the  angels  of  Heaven, 
but  the  Father  alone.— Matt.  XXIV,  27-28. 

But  the  Day  of  the  Lord  shall  come  as  a  thief,  in  which  the 
heavens  shall  pass  away  with  great  violence,  and  the  elements  shall 
be  melted  zvith  heat,  and  the  earth  and  the  works  which  are  in  it  shall 
be  burnt  up. — II  Peter,  III,  10. 

The  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  tJve  glory  of  His  Father  with  His 
angels:  and  then  zvill  He  render  to  every  nwn  according  to  his 
works. — Matt.  XVI,  27. 

They  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  Heaven 
with  much  Power  and  Majesty. — Matt.  XXIV,  30. 

COME  I      DEPART! 

"  Come  !  Depart ! "  These  are  the  words  with  which  that  tremen- 
dous spectacle  in  the  valley  of  Josaphat  will  end.  "Come!  Depart!" 
— with  which  everything  that  God  has  said,  taught,  proclaimed,  all 
the  actions  of  mankind,  will  be  finished.  "Come!  Depart!"  These 
are  the   words  upon   which   depend   salvation  or  perdition.   Heaven 


THE  JUDGMENT  81 

or  hell.  "  Come  !  Depart !  "  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  into 
heaven!"  "Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire!"  This  is  the 
final  sentence  which  will  be  uttered,  and  either  the  one  or  the  other 
will  infallibly  befall  every  man. — P.  Hchel,  S.  J. 

Then  He  shall  say  to  them  also  that  shall  be  on  His  left  hand: 
Depart  from  Me,  you  ctirscd,  into  Everlasting  Fire  which  was 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. — for  I  was  hungry,  and  you 
gave  Me  not  to  eat:  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  Me  not  to  drink. 

—Matt.  XXV,  41-42. 

Then  shall  the  just  stand  with  great  constancy  against  those  that 
have  afflicted  them. — These  seeing  it,  shall  be  troubled  with  terrible 
fear. — Saying  witiiin  themselves,  repenting,  and  groaning  for  anguish 
of  spirit:  These  are  they,  whom  we  had  some  time  in  derision,  and 
for  a  parable  of  reproach. — Wisd.  V,  1-3. 

When  sudden  calamity  shall  fall  on  you,  and  destruction,  as  a 
tempest,  shall  be  at  hand :  when  tribulation  and  distress  shall  come 
upon  you: — Then  shall  they  call  upon  Me,  and  I  will  not  hear:  they 
shall  rise  in  the  morning,  and  shall  not  find  Me  .-^Because  they  have 
hated  instruction,  and  received  not  the  fear  of  the  Lord. — Nor 
consented  to  My  counsel,  but  despised  all  My  reproof. — Prov.  I,  29-30. 

/  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy 
no  man  shall  take  from  you. — John  XVI,  22. 

We  fools  esteemed  their  life  madness,  and  their  end  without 
honour. — Behold  hozv  they  are  numbered  among  the  children  of  God', 
and  their  lot  is  among  the  Saints. — Wisd.  V,  4-5. 

TEKRORS  OF  THE  LAST  DAY 

Terror  will  follow  upon  terror,  curse  upon  curse,  "till  men  will 
faint  away  with  fear."  The  sun  being  not  quite  extinguished,  a 
dismal  gloom  will  be  spread  over  all  things,  like  a  veil  over  the  face 
of  the  dead:  terrific  signs  are  seen  in  the  heavens,  and  all  things 
announce  that  time  is  at  an  end.  St.  John  says  that  before  God 
pronounces  the  final  word  there  is  silence  in  Heaven :  and  voices 
are  heard  in  the  air,  on  the  water,  and  on  the  earth.  At  length  the 
skies  open,  and  He  pours  out  the  first  vial  of  His  anger.  And  the 
end  is  come.  God  speaks  the  command,  and  all  nature  trembles  as 
if  in  agony.  The  seas  swell  and  boil,  and  rise  and  touch  the  skies. 
The  mountains  nod  and  sink,  and  the  poles  collapse.  The  lightnings 
flash,  and  the  moaning  tempests  sweep  over  the  furious  deep,  piling 
up  ocean  upon  ocean  on  the  trembling  globe.  The  earth  reels  in 
convulsion,  and  the  whole  frame  of  creation  struggles.  A  mighty 
conflagration  bursts  from  the  melting  earth,  rages  like  a  hurricane 
round  about,  devouring  all  things  in  its  storm  and  flood  of  fire, 
consuming  the  crumbling  wreck  of  the  condemned  world.  The 
heavens  become  terrible  as  the  kindling  earth  and  seas  show  their 
overwhelming  flashes  on  the  crimson  skies.  The  sun  muffled,  the 
moon  black,  the  stars  fallen,  floating  masses  like  clouds  of  blood 
sweep  the  skies  in  circling  fury.     With  what  impressive  terror  does 


82      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  Saviour  paint  this  scene  in  His  own  words:  "Men  fainting  away 
with  fear,  running  in  wild  distraction,  calling  on  the  ground  to  open 
and  swallow  them,  and  the  rocks  to  fall  on  them  and  hide  them  from 
the  face  of  the  Lord."  The  earth  on  fire,  the  skies  faded,  the  sun 
and  stars  darkened  or  extinguished:  mankind  burning,  dying:  the 
angry  voice  of  God  coming  to  judge  the  world,  are  realities  which  the 
history  of  God  has  never  seen  before,  and  which  never  again  will  be 
repeated  during  the  endless  round  of  eternity. — Cahilh 

False  prophets  shall  show  great  signs  and  ivonders,  insomuch  as 
to  deceive  (if  possible)   even  the  elect. — Matt.  XXIV,  24. 

Unless  those  days  had  been  shortened,  no  flesh  should  be  saved; 
hut  for  the  sake  of  the  elect  those  days  shall  be  shortened. 

—Matt.  XXIV.  22. 

FEAR  OF  THE  JUDGMENT 

St.  Mary  Magdalen  of  Pazzi,  being  very  sick,  sent  in  haste  for 
her  confessor.  "Father,"  she  exclaimed,  "I  have  been  thinking  about 
the  terrible  Judgment  of  God ;  I  am  frightened.  Do  you  think  that 
I  will  be  saved?"  Unhesitatingly  the  good  priest  answered:  "I  have 
the  fullest  confidence  that  Heaven  will  be  your  home.  Why  are  you 
fretting?"  "God's  judgments  are  so  different  from  ours,"  she  said, 
"and  the  time  is  coming  soon  when  I  shall  stand  alone  before  my 
Judge,  to  be  examined  on  everything  I  have  said  or  done  in  my 
whole  life. " 

St.  Augustine  declared  that  nothing  banished  from  him  earthly 
thoughts  so  effectually  as  the  fear  of  judgment. 

In  the  days  of  St.  Bernard  there  lived  a  holy  monk  called  Stephen. 
He  had  spent  a  long  life  in  the  service  of  God,  and  everyone  looked 
up  to  him  as  to  a  living  Saint.  The  time  had  come  when  the  holy 
man  was  to  receive  the  reward  of  the  many  labours  he  had  accom- 
plished in  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  pass  from  the  poor  and 
humble  state  he  had  chosen,  to  go  to  His  eternal  home  in  Heaven. 
Then  the  abbots  of  his  Order  came  to  be  present  to  witness  his 
happy  death,  and  to  aid  him  with  their  prayers.  When  he  was  in 
his  agony,  they  were  speaking  of  the  holy  life  he  had  led,  and  how 
happy  must  he  now  be,  at  the  thought  of  having  done  so  much  good 
to  the  Church  of  God :  how  full  of  hope  and  confidence  he  must  be 
of  a  happy  judgment  from  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  had  served  so 
well.  At  these  words,  which  the  dying  monk  overheard,  he  roused 
himself,  and  collecting  all  his  strength,  said:  "My  brethren,  I  go  to 
the  judgment-seat  of  God  with  as  much  fear  as  if  I  had  never  done 
any  good  at  all.  For  if,  by  the  help  of  Jesus  Christ,  some  little  good 
may  have  been  done  through  me,  I  am  afraid  that  I  may  not  have 
done  all  that  was  required  of  me,  and  that  I  did  not  correspond 
with  the  graces  of  God  as  I  ought  to  have  done. " 

One  say  St.  Rose  was  full  of  sadness  as  she  thought  that  she 
might  not  persevere  to  the  end,  and  that  one  day  she  might  be 
condemned  to  hell  for  ever.     In  her  distress  Jesus  appeared  to  her, 


THE  JUDGMENT  83 

and  said :  "  My  daughter,  what  makes  you  so  sad,  and  why  do  you 
allow  these  thoughts  to  trouble  you?  Do  you  not  know  that  I  will 
never  condemn  to  hell  any  but  those  who  wish  to  be  condemned?"  as 
if  to  say:  If  a  person  is  condemned  it  is  his  own  fault,  for  if  he 
had  only  asked  Me  for  the  grace  of  perseverance  he  would  have 
obtained  it. 

CONVERTED   BV  A  PICTURE   OF  THE   LAST   JUDGMENT 

Bogaris,  King  of  Bulgaria,  greatly  enjoyed  awe-inspiring  sensa- 
tions. The  pictures  and  sculptures  of  his  palace  represented  most 
frightful  subjects.  When  he  heard  that  a  certain  monk  named 
Jerome  was  an  excellent  painter,  he  paid  him  a  visit  and  begged  him 
to  paint  a  picture  to  suit  his  taste,  that  is  to  say,  the  most  frightful 
that  he  could  imagine.  Father  Jerome  granted  his  request  and 
painted  for  him  the  Last  Judgment.  In  this  picture  the  Divine  Judge 
was  seen  seated  upon  a  cloud  surrounded  by  His  angels,  in  a 
majestic  and  awe-inspiring  manner.  On  the  right  were  to  be  seen 
the  just,  radiant  with  glory,  on  the  left  the  sinners,  terror-stricken 
and  fearful  of  the  last  sentence  of  the  Judge.  Below,  the  devils  were 
depicted  in  hideous  and  frightful  forms.  Below  these  again  there 
appeared  an  abyss,  from  which  burst  vicious  flames.  The  pagan 
king  was  delighted  with  the  picture,  and  declared  he  had  never 
seen  anything  so  impressive  and  awful.  However,  as  he  did  not 
know  what  the  picture  represented,  he  asked  the  monk  to  come  and 
explain  it.  Father  Jerome  explained  it  with  such  earnestness  that 
the  king  was  even  more  impressed  with  the  explanation  than  with 
the  picture.  He  became  a  Christian,  and  led  a  life  so  penetrated 
with  the  thought  of  God's  judgment  that  whenever  he  was  about  to 
undertake  anything,  or  when  affairs  were  discussed  in  council,  it 
was  his  custom  to  say:  "Let  us  remember  that  that  which  we  are 
now  going  to  do,  will  be  scrutinized  at  the  Divine  Judgment. " 

—P.  Hchel,  S.  J. 

Peter  of  Arezzo  was  one  who  feared  neither  God  nor  man.  If 
anyone  spoke  to  him  of  the  punishments  of  sin,  or  of  the  Last 
Judgment,  he  only  laughed  at  him.  One  day  he  went  to  see  a  great 
picture  in  a  church  in  Rome.  It  was  a  picture  of  the  Last  Judgment. 
He  looked  at  it  for  a  long  time  in  silence,  and  then  turned  away. 
People  wondered  where  he  was  going  so  silently,  and  watched  him. 
They  saw  .him  kneel  down  to  say  his  prayers.  The  sight  of  the 
picture  had  changed  his  heart.  He  said,  "If  I  am  so  frightened  by 
the  sight  of  a  picture  of  God's  judgment,  what  will  become  of  me 
when  that  judgment  itself  comes?" 

A  DREAiM  OF  THE  JUDGJIENT 

St.  Vincent  Ferrer  relates  that  a  certain  young  man  had  a  dream, 
in  which  he  imagined  he  was  brought  before  the  tribunal  of  God  to 
be  judged.  So  terrible  was  the  scene  he  witnessed — the  majesty  of 
the  Sovereign  Judge,  the  questions  put  to  him  to  which  he  could 
make  no  satisfactory  reply — that  on  his  awakening  in  the  morning 
he  found  himself  trembling  with  agitation  and  covered  with  a  cold 
sweat.     His  first  thought  was  to  thank  Jesus  Christ  that  it  had  not 


84      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

been  a  reality,  but  only  a  dream.  But  at  the  same  time  he  said  to 
himself:  "What  I  have  seen  in  my  dream  will  one  day  be  a  reality; 
I  cannot  escape  it;  perhaps,  too,  it  may  be  soon,  even  this  very  day." 
He  asked  God  to  forgive  him  the  sins  of  his  past  life,  and  took  the 
resolution  to  lead,  from  that  hour,  a  life  of  penance,  and  rather  to 
die  than  ever  again  to  commit  a  mortal  sin. 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  JUDGMENT 

Among  the  Saints  of  the  Middle  Ages  there  is  none  better  known 
than  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary.  The  people  used  to  call  her  the 
"dear  St.  Elizabeth,"  because  she  was  so  charitable  to  the  poor, 
and  was  so  kind  to  all  who  were  in  affliction.  Of  all  the  works  of 
charity  she  performed,  that  of  visiting  the  sick  and  the  poor  was 
the  one  she  loved  most.  The  ladies  of  her  household,  who  did  not 
care  for  this  kind  of  work,  tried  to  persuade  her  that  it  was  beneath 
the  dignity  of  her  position  to  perform  such  things.  Elizabeth 
answered,  "  I  am  preparing  for  the  Day  of  Judgment.  On  that  day 
Jesus  will  ask  me  for  an  account  of  the  good  works  I  have  done 
for  Him,  and  I  desire  to  be  able  to  say  to  Him,  'You  see,  O  Lord, 
when  You  were  hungry,  I  gave  You  to  eat ;  v^^hen  You  were  thirsty, 
I  gave  You  to  drink ;  when  You  were  naked,  I  clothed  You ;  when 
You  were  sick,  I  visited  You ;  because  You  said  that  in  doing  these 
things  to  the  poor,  I  did  them  for  Yourself.  I  beseech  You  be 
indulgent,  therefore,  to  me  in  the  sentence  You  are  to  pass  upon 
me. 

JUDGE  NOT,  THAT  YOU  MAY  NOT  BE  JUDGED 

A  monk,  lying  on  his  deathbed,  appeared  so  cheerful  and  joyous 
that  the  abbot  of  the  monastery  wondered  exceedingly.  "  How  is 
this?"  he  asked  the  dying  man.  "In  all  probability  you  will  soon 
be  summoned  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God,  and  yet  you  are  so 
light-hearted!"  "Father,"  replied  the  monk,  "whenever  my  brethren 
have  annoyed  me  or  wronged  me  in  any  way,  I  have  made  it  a 
practice  to  put  the  best  possible  construction  on  their  words  and 
actions.  Now,  since  I  have  never  judged  others  uncharitably,  I 
venture  to  hope  that  I  may  find  mercy  in  the  presence  of  my  Divine 
Judge." — F.  Renter. 

THE  THOUGHT  OF  DEATH  AND  JUDGMENT 

The  great  St.  Francis  of  Sales  tried  to  inspire  those  around  him 
with  that  confidence  in  God  that  burned  in  his  own  breast.  One  day  a 
gentleman  came  to  him  in  great  distress.  The  thought  of  death  and 
of  the  judgment  of  God  had  thrown  him  into  the  lowest  depths  of 
sadness  and  despondency,  and  he  went  to  him  for  consolation. 
"Alas!  my  friend,"  replied  the  Saint,  "there  is  no  torment  so  great 
as  this  one;  I  know  it  well,  for  I  myself  had  to  endure  it  for  the 
space  of  six  weeks,  and  I  am  well  able  from  experience  to  speak  on 
this  matter.  Let  me  tell  you,  then,  that  if  anyone  has  the  earnest 
desire  to  serve  Our  Lord,  he  should  noways  be  tormented  by  the 
thought  of  death  and  judgment;  or  if  we  must  needs  have  some 
fear  of  them,  let  it  be  a  fear  mingled  with  confidence.  God  is  our 
Father,  and  His  love  for  us  is  boundless;  and  has  He  not  told  us 


PURGATORY  85 

that  those  who  hope  in  Him  shall  never  be  confounded?  So,  my  son, 
keep  before  your  mind  what  St.  Paul  says  of  those  who  love  God: 
'There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus.'  " 

PURGATORY 

THE  FIRE  OF  PCRGATOBY 

St  Thomas,  the  prince  of  thcolof^ians,  tells  us  that  those  confined 
in  Purgatory  suffer  from  the  same  fire  as  the  damned  in  hell.  It  is 
one  and  the  same  flame,  he  argues,  that  torments  the  lost  and  that 
cleanses  the  saved.  The  light  fauUs  and  imperfections  and  venial 
offences  with  which  a  soul  enters  Purgatory,  may  be  burnt  away  by 
this  fierce  devouring  element,  and  the  soul,  at  last,  cleansed,  mounts 
at  once,  all  pure,  to  Heaven.  But  the  mortal  sins  and  grievous  crimes 
that  stain  the  souls  of  the  damned,  are  too  deeply  engrained  in  the 
very  substance  of  the  soul  ever  to  be  cleansed  or  burnt  away,  though 
eternity  itself  be  employed  in  the  process:  hence,  they  must  remain 
for  ever  in  the  bottomless  pit.  This  is  clearly  implied  in  the  passage 
of  St.  Paul,  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  where  he  writes:  "Every 
man's  work  shall  be  made  manifest;  for  the  day  (of  eternity)  shall 
declare  it,  because  it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire :  and  the  fire  shall  try 
every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  If  any  man's  work  abide  .  .  . 
he  shall  receive  a  reward." — Bishop  John  S.  Vaiighan. 

I  consider  that  this  transitory  fire  is  more  insupportable  than  all 
the  afflictions  of  this  earth;  for  as  the  unjust,  so  also  will  the  just 
be  tormented  by  this  fire,  only  with  this  difference,  that  the  purifying 
will  not  endure  eternally — St.  Gregory. 

The  least  suffering  of  a  poor  soul  is  greater  than  the  most  intense 
agony  we  can  think  of  here. — St.  Anschn. 

The  Lord  also  hath  taken  away  thy  sin;  thou  slialt  not  die. — 
Nevertheless,  because  thou  hast  given  occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord  to  blaspheme,  for  this  thing  the  child  that  is  born  to  thee  shall 
surely  die. — II  Kings  XII,  13-14. 

THE  SOUL  KNOWS  NOT  THE  LENGTH  OF  ITS  STAY  IN   PURGATORY 

The  agony  is  intensified  by  the  fact  that  no  soul  knows  how  long 
it  will  have  to  endure  its  sufferings.  As  soon  as  it  is  separated  from 
the  body,  all  desires  for  earthly  possessions  vanish,  as  well  as  all 
those  things  which  were  the  delight  of  the  body.  The  soul  knows 
only  one  aspiration,  only  one  ardent  desire,  and  that  is  the  longing 
for  God,  who  alone  can  satisfy,  whilst  everything  that  surrounded 
it  has  perished.  What  a  torment  it  is  to  be  irresistibly  impelled  by 
this  perpetual  longing,  when  it  beholds  itself  so  far  removed  from 
Him  who  alone  can  content  it.  Look  at  the  sick  man  !  Violent  pains 
rack  him,  sleep  is  banished  from  his  pillow,  he  knows  no  rest ;  he 
rolls  from  one  side  to  the  other,  every  moment  seems  to  him  an  hour, 
and  he  is  continually  asking  those  about  him  if  it  is  not  yet  day. 
O,  how  often  will  the  suffering  souls  ask  their  guardian  angels  this 


86      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

same  question,  when  will  the  hour  of  my  deliverance  come?  How 
long  must  I  still  remain  here?  Alas!  no  one  answers!  They  only 
know  this :  that  the  greater  the  number  of  sins  the  longer  will  they 
have  to  remain  in  the  fire  of  purification. — P.  Hehd,  S.J. 

The  most  valiant  Judas  exhorted  the  people  to  keep  themselves 
from  sin,  forasmuch  as  they  saw  before  their  eyes  ivhat  had  happened, 
because  of  the  sins  of  those  that  were  slain. — And  making  a  gathering, 
he  sent  twelve  thousand  drachms  of  silver  to  Jerusalem  for  sacrifice 
to  be  offered  for  the  sins  of  the  dead,  thinking  well  and  religiously 
concerning  the  Resurrection. —  (For  if  he  had  not  hoped  that  they 
that  were  slain  should  rise  again,  it  would  have  seemed  superfluous 
and  vain  to  pray  for  the  dead.) — And  because  he  considered  that  they 
who  had  fallen  asleep  with  godliness,  had  great  grace  laid  up  for 
them. — It  is  therefore  a  holy  and  wholesotne  thought  to  pray  for  the 
dead,  that  they  may  be  loosed  from  sins. — II  Mach.  XII,  42-46. 

/  say  unto  you,  that  every  idle  ivord  that  men  shall  speak,  they 
shall  render  an  account  for  it  in  the  Day  of  Judgment. — He  that  shall 
speak  against  the  Holy  Ghost  it  shall  not  be  forgiven  him  neither  in 
this  world,  nor  in  the  world  to  come. — Matt.  XII,  36-32. 

CONSOLATIONS    OF    PURGATORY 

Oh,  how  solemn  and  subduing  is  the  thought  of  that  holy  kingdom, 
that  realm  of  pain.  There  is  no  cry,  no  murmur ;  all  is  silent,  silent 
as  Jesus  before  His  enemies.  We  shall  never  know  how  we  really 
love  Mary,  till  we  look  up  to  her  out  of  those  deeps,  those  vales  of 
dread  mysterious  fire.  O  beautiful  region  of  the  Church  of  God  ! 
O  lovely  troop  of  the  flock  of  Mary !  What  a  scene  is  presented  to 
our  eyes  M'hen  we  gaze  upon  that  consecrated  empire  of  sinlessness, 
and  yet  of  keenest  suffering !  There  is  the  beauty  of  those  immac- 
ulate souls,  and  then  the  loveliness,  yea,  the  worshipfulness  of  their 
patience,  the  majesty  of  their  gifts,  the  dignity  of  their  solemn  and 
chaste  sufferings,  the  eloquence  of  their  silence ;  the  moonlight  of 
Mary's  throne,  lighting  up  their  land  of  pain  and  speechless  expecta- 
tion; the  silver-winged  angels  voyaging  through  the  deeps  of  that 
mysterious  realm ;  and  above  all.  that  unseen  Face  of  Jesus,  which  is 
so  well  remembered  that  it  seems  to  be  almost  seen  ! — Power. 

THE   SOULS   IN   PURGATORY   TO   BE   ENVIED 

Father  Faber  was  accustomed  to  say  that  he  could  never  under- 
stand why  we  speak  of  the  poor  souls  in  Purgatory.  He  thought 
them  rich  indeed,  much  to  be  envied,  little  to  be  pitied.  They  are 
indeed  truly  rich,  because  they  are  certain  of  possessing  God  forever. 
Compared  with  us,  living  as  we  do  in  dreadful  uncertainty  about  our 
salvation,  they  are  to  be  envied  exceedingly.  And  yet  it  is  also  true 
that  they  are  deserving  of  our  sympathy  and  pity.  They  are  poor 
because  they  are  suffering,  and  the  promise  of  the  future  scarcely 
relieves  their  anguish  in  the  present. 

THE  SUPTERING  IN  PURGATORl' 

If  there  were  in  the  whole  world  but  a  single  loaf  of  bread,  the 


PURGATORY  87 

mere  sight  of  which  was  destined  to  appease  the  hunger  of  all 
creatures,  and  if  a  man  who  had  that  desire  to  eat  which  is  natural 
to  all  of  us  in  a  normal  state  of  health,  yet  could  not  satisfy  it,  and 
yet  though  deprived  of  all  food  could  neither  die  nor  fall  sick,  is  it 
not  clear  that  he  would  suffer  a  hunger  that  was  always  increasing? 
Suppose  this  man  to  know  the  single  loaf  in  question  could  alone  by 
his  seeing  it  satisfy  him,  and  that  without  it  he  would  remain  in 
his  hunger  in  a  state  of  intolerable  torture,  is  it  not  evident  that  the 
nearer  he  came  to  that  loaf  without  being  able  to  look  upon  it  the 
more  would  his  hunger  be  provoked  and  that  his  torments  would 
be  all  the  more  cruel  in  proportion  as  his  appetite  yearned  with 
greater  force  for  the  sight  of  the  loaf,  the  single  object  of  his 
desire?  And  again,  if  in  the  midst  of  this  torture  of  hunger 
devouring  him  always  more  and  more  as  time  went  on,  this  man  were 
to  acquire  the  dreadful  certainty  that  he  was  never  again  to  see 
that  loaf,  what  would  take  place  ?  He  would  at  once  feel  the 
beginning  of  hell  within  himself :  he  would  from  that  moment  he  as 
are  the  souls  of  the  damned  who  have  lost  all  hope  of  seeing  the 
Bread  of  Life,  God  their  Saviour.  Well,  then,  the  hunger  which  this 
man  would  feel  is  precisely  that  which  the  souls  in  Purgatory 
experience,  with  the  exception  of  the  despair — for  they  have  the 
hope  that  they  shall  one  day  see  that  loaf  and  satisfy  themselves  with 
it  as  they  will.  But  the  hunger  and  martyrdom  which  they  suffer 
are  something  which  can  not  be  described  as  long  as  it  is  not  given 
them  to  fill  themselves  with  the  Bread  of  Life,  which  is  Jesus  Christ 
the  true  God,  our  Saviour  and  our  Love. — St.  Catherine  of  Genoa. 

A  certain  holy  nun  received  a  letter  which  informed  her  that 
her  father  was  dead.  He  had  not  only  been  a  good  Christian,  but 
was  spoken  of  as  a  living  Saint,  so  great  was  his  piety.  His  daughter, 
knowing  how  strict  are  the  judgments  of  God,  for  a  long  time  offered 
up  fervent  prayers  and  pious  works  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  At 
last  she  ceased  praying  for  him,  because  she  thought  he  must  be  in 
Heaven,  and  that  it  was  needless  to  pray  for  him  any  longer.  But 
how  great  was  her  astonishment  when  Our  Lord  one  day  showed 
her  in  Purgatory  the  soul  of  her  beloved  father,  suffering  excruciating 
torments,  and  imploring  her  help.  "  O  my  daughter,  pray  for  me, 
and  do  not  forget  your  father  who  loved  you  so  tenderly."  At  this 
sight  she  burst  into  tears,  and,  casting  herself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
she  besought  Him  through  His  most  Precious  Blood  to  free  her 
father  from  his  sufferings;  or  if  it  was  necessary  for  someone  to 
bear  the  punishment,  she  offered  herself  in  his  stead.  Our  Lord 
was  pleased  to  accept  the  offering  she  made.  Her  father's  soul  was 
immediately  set  free  from  Purgatory,  but  heavy  indeed  were  the 
crosses  and  sufferings  she  had  to  bear  from  that  day  till  the  end 
of  her  life. 

St.  Catherine  of  Bologna  was  once  permitted  by  God  to  see  the 
souls  who  were  suffering  in  Purgatory.  First  she  saw  a  raging  fire, 
which  burnt  even  to  the  inmost  soul ;  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  the 
flames  of  hell  could  not  burn  more  fiercely.  Then  she  saw  a  countless 
number  of  people,  all  burning  in  these  terrible  frames.    She  saw  there 


88      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

many  who  had  led  holy  lives  on  earth,  but  who  were  not  yet  pure 
enough  to  be  with  God.  She  also  saw  there  many  little  children  who 
had  never  committed  great  sins,  but  only  venial  ones,  such  as 
quarrelling  with  brothers  and  sisters,  or  disobeying  their  parents  in 
small  matters,  and  the  pain  she  saw  them  suffering  for  these  sins 
in  those  flames  was  awful  to  look  upon.  God  permitted  her  to  see 
these  things  that  she  might  warn  us  to  avoid  even  the  smallest  sins, 
since  God  punishes  them  with  much  severity  in  the  next  life. 

THE  SUFFERING  OF  THIS  WORLD  AND  THE  SUFFERING  OF  PURGATORY 

There  was  once  a  man  who  suffered  great  pains  for  a  whole  year, 
without  a  moment's  relief.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  j.Tayed  to 
God  to  take  him  out  of  this  world,  that  he  might  be  released  from 
his  terrible  sufferings.  God  heard  his  prayer,  and  sent  an  angel  to 
oft'er  him  his  choice — to  take  three  days  m  Purgatory,  or  to  endure 
for  another  year  in  this  world  the  same  pain  as  he  was  suffering. 

The  man  said  within  himself,  "  I  know  that  the  sufferings  of 
Purgatory  are  most  severe,  but  they  cannot  be  nmch  more  so  than 
those  I  am  suffering  now ;  and  besides,  three  days  will  soon  pass  by, 
and  then  they  shall  be  over.  O  my  God,"  he  said,  "I  choose  the 
three  days  in  Purgatory."  His  request  was  granted ;  he  died,  and 
his  soul  entered  Purgatory.  He  had  not  been  many  moments  there 
when  his  guardian  angel  came  to  visit  him. 

"O  angel  of  God,"  cried  out  that  suffering  soul,  "why  have  you 
deceived  me?  Why  have  you  left  me  so  many  years  here,  when  God 
said  my  punishment  was  to  end  after  three  days?"  "But,"  the 
angel  answered,  "you  have  only  just  died;  you  are  here  but  a  few 
hours  and  why  do  you  speak  about  years?" 

"O  holy  angel,"  said  the  soul,  "give  me  my  choice  again,  and 
I  will  go  back  to  the  world,  and  suffer  gladly  for  another  year  all 
the  pains  of  my  former  sickness,  rather  than  remain  another  instant 
in  this  awful  place. " 

Again  his  prayer  was  heard,  and  he  returned  to  the  world.  For 
another  year  he  suffered  as  he  had  previously.  But  to  everyone  who 
came  to  see  him  he  said :  "  Oh  !  accept  willingly  all  the  sufferings 
God  sends  you  in  this  world,  and  oft'er  them  up  in  satisfaction  for 
your  sins,  for  the  greatest  of  these  suft'erings  is  as  nothing  when 
compared  with  the  sufferings  in  Purgatory." — Turlot. 

PURGATORY 

.    .    .    .        Praise  to  His  Name ! 
The  eager  spirit  has  darted  from  my  hold, 
And,  with  the  intemperate  energy  nf  love, 
Flies  to  the  dear  feet  of  Emmanuel ; 
But,  ere  it  reach  them,  the  keen  sanctity. 
Which  with  its  effluence,  like  a  glory,  clothes 
And  circles  round  the  Crucified,  has  serged, 
And  scorched,  and  shrivelled  it;  and  now  it  lies 
Passive  and  still  before  the  awful  Throne. 
A  happy,  suffering  soul!     For  it  is  safe. 
Consumed,  yet  quickened,  by  the  glance  of  God. 

— Cardinal  Newman. 


PURGATORY  89 

ST.  MONICA  AND  PURGATORY 

For  she,  when  the  day  of  her  dissolution  was  at  hand,  had  no 
thought  for  the  sumptuous  coverincf  of  her  body,  or  the  embalming 
of  it,  nor  had  she  any  desire  of  a  fine  monument,  nor  was  solicitous 
about  her  sepulchre  in  her  own  country.  None  of  these  things  did 
she  recommend  to  us,  but  only  desired  that  we  should  make  a 
remembrance  of  her  at  the  altar,  at  which  she  had  constantly  attended 
without  one  day's  intermission ;  from  whence  she  knew  was  dis- 
pensed that  holy  Victim  by  which  was  cancelled  that  handwriting 
which  was  against  us  (Coloss.  ii.)  by  which  that  enemy  was  triumphed 
over  who  reckoneth  up  our  sins,  and  seeketh  what  he  may  lay  to  our 
charge,  but  findeth  nothing  in  Him  through  whom  we  conquer. 

— St.  Augustine. 

MASSES  AND  PRAYERS  FOR  THE  DEAD 

Now  it  is  the  universal  custom  of  the  Church  to  have  many 
Masses  said  for  the  dead,  even  for  individual  souls.  One  Mass  is  of 
infinite  value,  sufficient  in  itself  to  free  any  soul  from  Purgatory. 
We  do  not,  however,  content  ourselves  with  having  only  one  Mass 
said.  It  may  be  that  God  chooses  to  apply  one  Mass  to  one  soul 
and  another  to  another.  We  cannot  depend  on  our  own  judgment 
in  the  matter:  we  must  follow  the  practice  of  the  Church.  So  also 
with  our  prayers  for  the  dead.  It  may  be  that  our  first  prayer  for  a 
departed  friend  opens  the  gate  of  Heaven  for  him.  But  we  do  not 
know.  The  number  of  the  elect  has  been  purposely  kept  concealed 
from  us.  It  is  part  of  the  mystery  of  the  Communion  of  Saints. 
The  uncertainty  is  a  motive  to  make  us  persevere  in  prayer  for  the 
dead.  The  prayer  may  not  necessarily  be  applied  to  the  person  named 
in  our  prayer.  But  it  will  not  be  lost.  It  will  be  applied  to  some 
soul  which,  perhaps,  needs  it  more.  It  will  serve  the  function,  too. 
of  putting  us  in  closer  union  with  the  spirit  world. 

— Thomas  F.  Gerrard. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  AVAILABLE   FOR   THE   POOR  SOULS 

Such  is  the  efficacy  of  this  sacrifice,  that  it  is  profitable  not  only 
to  the  celebrant  and  communicant,  but  also  to  all  the  faithful, 
whether  living  with  us  on  earth,  or  already  numbered  with  those  who 
are  dead  in  the  Lord,  but  whose  sins  have  not  yet  been  fully  expiated; 
for,  according  to  Apostolic  tradition  the  most  authentic,  it  is  not 
less  available  when  offered  for  them,  than  when  offered  for  the 
sins  of  the  living,  their  punishments,  satisfactions,  calamities,  and 
difficulties  of  every  sort. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

PRAYERS   FOR  THE  POOR   SOULS 

Cardinal  Baronius  relates  that  there  was  once  a  holy  man  lying 
in  the  agonies  of  death,  whom  the  devil  was  tempting  with  thoughts 
of  despair.  During  the  whole  course  of  his  life  this  man  had  done 
much  for  the  repose  of  the  holy  souls  in  Purgatory.  In  the  midst 
of  the  darkness,  he  suddenly  saw  thousands  of  heavenly  spirits,  clad 
in  shining  armour,  fighting  in  his  defence  against  the  Evil  One. 
"Who  are  you,  O  blessed  beings,  who  thus  defend  me?"  "We  are 
those  souls,"   was  the  answer,   "whom  by  your  prayers,  penances, 


90      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

and  Masses  you  have  released  from  Purgatory,  and  we  have  come 
to  conduct  you  to  Heaven." 

WE  DO  SO  LITTLE  FOR  THE  POOR  SOULS 

And  then  v^'e  follovi'  the  souls  of  our  friends  into  eternity.  From 
the  judgment  seat  we  follow  them  intu  their  prison,  where  their  angel 
conducts  them,  and  our  prayers,  as  it  were,  rain  down  incessantly 
on  those  fires.  We  pray  for  them  at  our  public  services ;  we  pray 
for  them  at  our  private  devotions ;  we  pray  for  them  even  at  our 
meals;  there  is  scarcely  a  day  in  which  the  Holy  Sacrifice  is  not 
offered  for  these  suffering  souls;  there  are  many  in  the  Church  who 
have  given  to  God  all  the  merits  of  their  lives,  their  prayers,  fastings, 
almsdeeds  for  the  souls  in  Purgatory ;  there  are  religious  Orders  in 
the  Church  who  repeat  frequently  during  the  day  the  De  Profundis 
for  the  departed.  And  with  all  this,  dear  brethren,  if  we  consider 
how  great  are  the  sufferings  of  these  poor  souls,  we  shall  see  how 
really  uncharitable  we  are  and  how  unreasonable  it  is  that  we  do 
so  very  little. — P.  A.  Sheehan. 

A  PROTESTANT   POET'S  PRATER 

Pray  for  my  soul.     More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of.    Wherefore  let  thy  voice 
Rise  like  a  fountain  for  me  night  and  day. 

— Tennyson. 

A   PROTESTANT   MINISTER'S   OPINION   OF   PURGATORY 

Rev.  H.  Page  Dyer,  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Ascension, 
Philadelphia,  delivered  a  sermon  on  April  27,  1913,  saying  in  part: 
"Almost  everybody  believes  there  is  a  Heaven,  but  there  is  a  diversity 
of  thought  as  to  when  the  saved  shall  reach  there.  Of  course,  it  is 
evident  that  the  bodies  of  all  the  saved  will  be  reunited  to  their  souls 
at  the  time  of  the  resurrection,  for  not  until  then  will  they  have  risen 
from  their  graves.  But  what  about  the  entrance  of  the  souls  into 
Heaven?  The  Protestant  belief  is  that  every  soul  that  does  not  go 
to  hell  goes  to  Heaven  at  the  moment  of  death.  One  difficulty  about 
this  is  that  it  takes  no  account  of  the  quality  or  character  of  a  man's 
mode  of  life.  A  man  whose  life  has  been  so  low  and  bestial  that  he 
barely  escapes  damnation,  according  to  this  theory,  goes  as  surely 
and  quickly  to  Heaven  as  a  man  who  has  lived  a  careful,  holy  and 
beautiful  life."  Dr.  Dyer  then  gave  our  Catholic  belief — and  evidently 
his:  "The  ancient  belief  of  God's  Church  is  one  of  holy  common 
sense.  Few  souls  are  so  pure  that  they  are  fit  for  Heaven,  where 
nothing  that  is  defiled  may  enter.  And  yet  there  are  many  millions 
of  people  who  are  too  good  to  go  to  hell." 


HEAVEN 

THE  HAPPINESS  OF  HEAVEN 

Is  it  not  altogether  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Infinite 
Intelligence.  Beauty  and  Love  could  fail  to  satisfy  the  aspirations 
and  longings  of  our  minds  and  hearts?     As  well  say  that  we  could 


HEAVEN  91 

exhaust  the  ocean  by  drinking  its  waters,  as  dream  of  exhausting 
the  treasures  of  eternal  happiness  that  God  has  prepared  for  us. 

It  is  perfectly  true  that  pleasure  produces  satiety  in  this  life, 
but  that  can  readily  be  accounted  for.  Sinful  pleasure  eventually 
causes  disgust  and  ennui,  for  our  hearts  were  made  for  something 
higher  and  nobler;  intellectual  pleasure  is  often  so  exacting  in  its 
demands  that  it  wearies  us  exceedingly,  just  as  the  body  becomes 
fatigued  from  too  much  physical  exercise. 

But  in  Heaven  no  unhappiness  is  possible,  because  sin,  the  origin 
of  it,  is  absolutely  banished.  "There  shall  not  enter  into  it  any- 
thing defiled"  (Apoc.  xxi,  27).  No  weariness  or  ennui  is  possible, 
because  God  gives  us  the  sustaining  help  of  His  own  infinite  power 
and  love.  All  the  desires  of  mind  and  will  and  heart  will  be 
eternally  gratified.  Why,  then,  question  simply  because  we  can 
not  form  an  adequate  concept  of  the  manner  in  which  God  will 
satisfy  them? — Bcrirand  L.  Conway,  C.  S.  P. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord:  Let  thy  voice  cease  from  weeping,  and  thine 
eves  from  tears,  for  there  is  a  reward  for  thy  work. 

—Jer.  XXXI,   16. 

They  shall  no  more  hunger  nor  thirst,  neither  shall  the  sun  fall 
on  them,  nor  any  heat. — For  the  Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
Throne,  shall  rule  them,  and  shall  lead  them  to  the  Fountains  of  the 
Waters  of  Life,  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes. 

—Apoc.  VII,  16-17. 

They  shall  rejoice  before  Thee,  as  they  that  rejoice  in  the  harvest, 
as  conquerors  rejoice  after  taking  a  prey,  when  they  divide  the  spoils. 

—Is.   IX,  3. 

The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  unto  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field, 
which  a  man  having  found  hideth,  and  for  joy  thereof  goeth  and 
selleth  all  that  he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field. — Matt.  XIII,  44. 

The  work  of  justice  shall  be  peace,  and  the  service  of  justice  quiet- 
ness, and  security  for  ever. — And  My  people  shall  sit  in  the  Beauty  of 
peace,  and  in  the  Tabernacles  of  confidence,  and  in  wealthy  Rest. 

—Is.  XXXII,  17-18. 

/  zuill  turn  their  mourning  into  joy,  and  zuill  comfort  them,  and 
make  them  joyful  after  their  sorrow. — Jer.  XXXI,  13. 

THE  BEAUTIFUL   CITY 

One  day  there  came  to  Philip  of  Macedonia  a  man  called  Demades; 
he  was  one  of  the  chief  magistrates  of  the  city  of  Athens.  "I  have 
often  heard  of  your  good  city,"  said  the  king,  "and  I  have  been  told 
that  it  is  exceedingly  beautiful."  "My  lord,"  answered  Demades, 
"you  have  been  told  the  truth;  but  no  one  can  describe  the  greatness 
and  beauty  of  our  city,  except  one  who  has  seen  it,  and  even  his 
words  could  never  convey  to  your  mind  what  it  really  is."  Philip 
•urged  him  to  give  him  a  description  of  it,  and  Demades  gave  an 


&2      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

account  of  its  rise  and  progress,  and  of  the  greatness  it  had  reached. 
He  spoke  of  the  wealth  of  its  inhabitants,  and  the  beauty  of  its 
buildings,  and  the  renown  it  had  obtained  for  learning,  and  how  people 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  went  thither  to  visit  it. 

The  kinof  listened  in  silence  to  the  account  of  Demades,  When 
he  had  finished,  he  said:  "That  city  must  be  mine,  cost  what  it  may. 
I  will  risk  everything  I  have  to  make  that  city  mine." 

There  is  a  city  far  more  beautiful  than  Athens.  That  city  is 
Heaven.  It  is  to  be  given  to  us  for  ever,  if  we  love  and  serve  God 
faithfully.  Say  to  yourself  what  Philip  of  Macedonia  said:  "That 
city  shall  be  mine,  cost  what  it  may ;  I  will  spare  no  pains  that  I 
may  gain  it." 

They  that  are  redeemed  by  the  Lord,  shall  return,  and  shall  come 
into  Sion  singing  praises,  and  Joy  Everlasting  shall  be  upon  their 
heads,  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  sorrow  and  mourning  shall 
Hee  away. — Is.  LI,  ii. 

Therefore  they  are  before  the  Throne  of  God,  and  they  serve  Him 
day  and  night  in  His  Temple:  and  He,  that  sitteth  on  the  Throne,  shall 
dwell  over  them. — Apoc.  VII,  15. 

In  My  Father's  House  there  are  many  mansions.  If  not,  I  would 
have  told  you,  because  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. — John  XIV,  2. 

Thou  hast  made  known  to  me  the  zvays  of  life.  Thou  shall  till  me 
with  joy  with  Thy  countenance:  at  Thy  right  hand  are  delights  even 
to  the  end.—Ps.  XV,  11. 

HAPPINESS  IN  THE  WORLD  OR  HAPPINESS  IN  HEAVEN 

It  is  difficult,  even  impossible  to  enjoy  perfect  happiness  both  here 
and  in  Heaven.  He  who  seeks  his  happiness  in  things  of  the  world 
forfeits  his  happiness  in  Heaven. — St.  Jerome. 

THE  INEXPRESSIBLE  GLORY  OF  HEAVEN 

One  day  God  was  pleased  to  give  to  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna  a 
little  glimpse  of  the  glory  of  Heaven  which  He  would  one  dav  bestow 
on  her,  and  on  all  those  who  would  be  faithful  to  Him  while  they 
dwelt  in  this  world.  When  the  vision  was  over,  she  went  down  to 
the  other  nuns  in  the  convent;  but  her  face  was  so  bright  that  they 
could  scarcely  look  upon  it.  They  knew  that  she  must  have  had  a 
vision,  and  they  asked  her  to  tell  them  what  she  had  seen.  "O," 
she  exclaimed,  "I  have  seen  such  wonderful  things — such  wonderful 
things!"  But  she  could  say  no  more.  When  her  confessor  heard 
about  it,  he  asked  her  to  tell  him  more  plainly  what  God  had  been 
pleased  to  show  her.  "Father,"  she  answered,  "it  is  quite  impossible 
for  me  to  tell  you  what  I  saw:  no  human  tongue  could  express,  no 
words  could  describe  the  beauty  of  the  heavenly  things  God  showed 
me — the  reward  which  He  will  give  to  everyone  who  serves  and  loves 
Him  in  this  world.  Oh!  it  is  beautiful  beyond  all  that  can  be 
imaerined." 


HEAVEN  98 

WHAT   A   SAINT   HEARD   IN   HEAVEN 

Jesus  Christ  one  day  gave  St.  Mechtildis  a  view  of  the  glory  of 
Heaven.  As  she  was  gazing  on  it  in  rapture  and  wishing  that  the 
happy  day  were  come  when  she  also  would  enjoy  the  happiness  of  the 
Saints,  she  heard  a  voice  that  seemed  to  come  from  the  immense 
multitude  of  the  blessed,  saying,  "O  thrice  happy  are  you  who  still 
live  in  the  world,  because  it  is  in  your  power  to  increase  your  glory 
and  your  merit  for  ever."  "Oh!"  cried  out  the  Saint,  "if  men  did 
but  know  how  much  they  might  increase  their  merit  every  day,  they 
would  never  awaken  in  the  morning  without  their  hearts  being  filled 
with  gratitude  to  God  for  His  goodness  in  giving  them  another  day 
in  which  they  might  increase  their  glory  for  Heaven,  their  eternal 
home.  This  thought  alone  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  strengthen  them 
in  all  their  difficulties  and  trials,  and  to  give  them  courage  to  lead 
a  mortified  life,  since  each  one  of  these  things  is  of  so  much  avail 
for  them  in  eternity." 

Could  we  but  see  the  infinite  rewards  bestowed  in  Heaven  in 
return  for  the  good  works  done  in  this  world,  we  should  devote  all 
our  faculties,  our  intellect,  memory  and  will,  solely  to  their  accom- 
plishment, however  much  it  might  cost  us. — 5"/.  Catherine  of  Genoa. 


HELL 

THE   ETERNITY  OF  PUNISHMENT 

The  eternity  of  future  punishment  is  not  an  unreasonable  doctrine; 
on  the  contrary,  the  unreasonable  thing  would  be  to  suppose  that  the 
punishment  of  unrepented  sin  in  the  next  world  could  be  only  tempor- 
ary. The  universal  teaching  of  experience  from  nature  is  that  law 
is  vindictive  and  implacable,  and  that  repentance  is  no  reparation  for 
disobedience.  Vengeance  follows  every  transgression  of  natural  laws, 
even  if  they  be  violated  only  through  mistake  or  ignorance.  One  act 
often  brings  a  life-long  punishment  which  no  repentance  will  undo. 
The  forgiveness  of  sin  on  repentance  is  the  one  exception  to  this  law. 
The  law  of  grace  overrides  the  ordinary  law  of  nature;  and  the 
special  intervention  of  God  in  the  Incarnation  and  Passion  introduces 
a  new  force  that  counteracts  the  necessary  effects  of  sin. 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

SIN  A  PER^IANENT  STATE,  THEREFORE  PUNISHMENT  PERMANENT 

To  understand  the  eternity  of  sin,  we  must  remember  that  the 
transient  act  is  not  all  there  is  in  sin.  Those  who  deny  the  eternity 
of  hell  wish  to  see  in  sin  only  an  isolated  action  which  at  once  is 
over  and  done  with.  But  sin  is  a  permanent  state  of  the  soul  follow- 
ing on  a  sinful  act.  We  sec  only  the  momentary  act;  human  justice 
punishes  that  alone,  and  only  so  far  as  it  is  carried  into  external 
effect.  God  sees  not  only  the  act,  but  the  enduring  alienation  of  the 
soul  from  Him,  and  its  state  of  disorder,  which  is  hostile  to  the  Divine 
Nature,  and  which  is  deliberately  persisted  in.  The  effect  endures 
while  the  cause  does.  It  is  this  permanent  state  of  adhesion  to  sin 
which  is  punished  by  an  eternal  hell.  There  is,  therefore,  no  unjust 
excess  of  punishment  over  guilt  in  hell.     In  duration  as  well  as  in 


94      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

its  pains,  hell  is  exactly  adequate  to  sin.  It  is  intimately  connected 
with  sin  as  its  direct  cause.  Hell  is  sin ;  and  for  that  very  reason  is 
necessarily  adequate  to  it,  and  is  necessarily  eternal — Bishop  Bellord. 

Let  death  come  upon  them  and  let  them  go  dozini  alive  into  Hell. 
For  there  is  zvickedness  in  their  dwellings:  in  the  midst  of  them. 

—Ps.  LIV,  i6. 

THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL, 

In  hell  there  is  no  calendar;  there  the  years  are  not  counted. 
St.  Antonius  says,  that  if  a  damned  soul  heard  that  it  was  to  be 
released  from  hell  after  so  many  millions  of  years  as  there  are  drops 
of  water  in  the  sea,  or  grains  of  sand  in  earth,  it  would  feel  a 
greater  joy  than  a  criminal  condemned  to  death  would  experience 
at  hearing  that  he  was  reprieved  and  was  to  be  made  the  monarch 
of  the  whole  world!  But,  no!  as  many  millions  of  years  shall  pass 
away  as  there  are  drops  of  water  in  the  ocean,  or  grains  of  dust  in 
the  earth,  and  the  hell  of  the  damned  shall  still  be  at  its  commence- 
ment.— St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

THE  BEDEIklPTION  MEANINGLESS  UNLESS  THERE  IS  A  HELL 

The  infinite  Redemption  wrought  by  Jesus  Christ  is  reduced  to 
nothing  if  sin  be  not  an  infinite  evil  leading  to  an  eternal  hell.  The 
mystery  of  the  Atonement  and  the  Incarnation  of  God  the  Son  would 
have  no  adequate  reason  to  explain  them  else ;  and  they  would  come 
to  be  regarded  as  unreal  and  untrue. — Bishop  Bellord. 

AN  ATHEIST'S  UNCERTAINTY 

Some  one  said  to  Voltaire,  "I  am  now  finally  convinced  that  there 
is  no  hell."  He  answered,  "You  are  very  happy.  I  am  far  from  that, 
to  my  great  sorrow." 

THE  DENIAL  OF  HELL 

To  deny  hell  is  to  misunderstand  and  underrate  the  power  that 
free-will  has  of  resisting  God.  If  there  be  no  hell  man  cannot 
finally  reject  God,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  obstinacy  in  sin  or 
final  impenitence,  there  is  no  force  in  inveterate  habits.  There  are 
two  alternatives;  either  God  forces  the  impenitent  and  resisting  soul 
into  an  unmeritorious  love  of  Him  and  crushes  free-will :  or  the 
soul  repents  in  the  next  world  and  goes  again  through  a  course  of 
supernatural  training  for  Heaven.  In  this  case  all  these  passages 
of  Scripture  and  doctrines  and  exhortation  crumble  away,  which 
treat  this  life  as  the  time  of  probation  and  insist  on  the  importance 
of  using  the  present  life  well. — Bishop  Bellord. 

DENIAL   OF   ETERNAL   PUNISHMENT 

The  present  age  has  gone  beyond  all  those  that  are  past,  in  deny- 
ing the  existence  of  hell.  Hitherto  the  voice  of  the  Church,  the  voice 
of  Scripture,  the  voice  of  nature,  reason,  and  conscience,  have  con- 
vinced even  the  most  lawless  sects  that  an  eternal  punishment  awaits 
the  violation  of  eternal  laws.  But  now,  various  causes  have  com- 
bined to  lead  most  of  those  who  are  outside  the  Catholic  Church 
to  reject  this  most  important  truth.     Pride  of  intellect  and  spiritual 


HELL  9S 

ignorance,  the  tendency  to  rebellion  and  moral  corruption,  have 
created  a  new  spirit  of  the  a^e,  which  has  set  itself  resolutely  in  op- 
position to  this  doctrine.  Against  it  have  been  marshaled  all  the 
forces  of  sophistry,  ridicule,  misrepresentation.  The  attack  has 
been  most  vigorously  conducted  with  so  much  success  outside  the  one 
true  Church  of  Christ,  that  its  leaders  boast  of  having  forever  deliv- 
ered mankind  (i.  c.  certain  sections  of  some  communities),  from  "an 
appalling  burthen  of  cruelty  and  terror." — Bishop  Bellord. 

Many  may  rejoice  in  the  spread  of  incredulity  about  hell  and 
think  it  a  victory  over  religion  and  God,  but  in  reality  it  is  one  of 
the  severest  punishments  of  men's  sins.  They  have  despised  the  light 
of  truth,  and  it  is  becoming  obscured  and  lost  to  them.  This  is  the 
immediate  consequence  of  their  worldliness,  pride,  and  sensuality;  and 
the  consequence  of  sin  is  also  its  punishment.  The  loss  of  this  truth 
relieves  the  sinner  from  the  wholesome  restraint  of  fear,  it  closes  in 
great  measure  the  opening  to  repentance,  it  leads  to  further  sins  and 
greater  ultimate  punishment.  An  increase  of  crime  follows  as  a 
punishment  on  the  denial  of  hell,  and  so  the  denial  of  hell  becomes 
the  surest  way  of  bringing  men  thither. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE   SUFFERING  OF  HELL 

In  the  cruel  days  of  the  penal  laws  in  England,  when  every  effort 
was  being  made  to  stamp  out  the  Catholic  faith,  we  read  of  one 
glorious  martyr,  a  woman,  who  was  slowly  crushed  to  death  for 
sheltering  a  priest.  And  we  are  told  how  the  weights  were  not  laid 
on  her  all  at  once,  but  one  by  one,  until  at  length  her  poor  mangled 
body  could  endure  no  more,  and  she  went  to  receive  a  martyr's  crown. 
But  all  human  suffering  is  of  this  type,  given  to  us  gradually  moment 
by  m.oment — whereas  in  eternity  the  whole  weight  is  there  always — 
the  awful  pressure  of  suffering  is  ever  entire,  and  yet  death  can 
never  come. — Raphael  Moss,  0.  P. 

THE  TORMENT  OF  FIRE 

Even  in  this  life  the  pain  of  fire  is  the  most  terrible  of  all  tor- 
ments. But  St.  Augustine  says,  that  in  comparison  of  the  fire  of 
hell,  the  fire  of  this  earth  is  no  more  than  a  picture  compared  with 
the  reality. 

THE  ITRE  OF  HELL 

How  far  the  word  "Fire"  may  be  literally  spoken  of  hell  we  have 
no  means  of  judging.  God  has  made  no  relevation,  the  Church  has 
given  no  definition  on  the  point.  We  are  at  liberty  to  interpret  it  as 
may  seem  best  to  each.  We  cannot  explain  it  quite  literally  of  fire 
such  as  we  have  on  earth.  That  is  a  creation  of  God,  beneficial, 
cheerful,  intended  for  our  use  and  comfort.  The  fire  of  hell  has 
no  beneficial  qualities,  it  is  not  fed  with  fuel  and  liable  to  extinction, 
but  it  is  lighted  and  fed  by  sin  and  fanned  by  the  breath  of  God's 
anger.  The  Fathers  and  spiritual  writers  tell  us  that  earthly  fire, 
however  furious,  is  but  a  dead,  lifeless  image  compared  with  the 
terrible  reality  of  hell.  That  fire  is  of  such  a  kind  that  it  can  torment 
spiritual  beings,  fallen  angels  and  human  souls.     St.  Bernard  would 


yo      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

seem  to  make  it  wholly  immaterial  when  he  says,  "Nothing  burns  in 
hell  except  our  own  self-will." — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  STATE  OF  THE  LOST 

A  distinguished  writer  lately  dead  describes  the  state  of  the  lost 
thus:  It  is  "an  abiding  consciousness  of  having  missed  the  aim  of  life, 
a  loss  of  all  that  the  heart  before  clung  to;  an  absolute  impotence  and 
want  of  energy,  because  all  the  powers  of  life  are  withdrawn,  and 
the  will  is  now  empty  and  unfruitful,  and  only  fixed  on  evil;  the 
constant  burning  of  unsatisfied  passions,  and  the  gnawing  pain  of  a 
conscience  which  cannot  again  be  laid  to  sleep." — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  HELL  TEMPERED  FOR  SOME 

As  the  punishment  of  hell  varies  for  each  one,  as  the  realization 
of  the  loss  of  God  depends  on  previous  knowledge  and  guilt,  there 
will  evidently  be  some  on  whom  the  punishment  of  hell  will  fall  very 
lightly.  There  are  some,  such  as  unbaptized  children,  savages,  and 
possibly  other  adults  (Balmez),  who  are  not  qualified  for  the  super- 
natural vision  of  God,  but  who  have  never  deliberately  averted  their 
will  from  Him.  Such  lose  God  indeed  supernaturally,  and  it  is  an 
infinite  loss;  but  no  injustice  is  done  to  them  thereby,  for  this  super- 
natural possession  of  God  is  beyond  all  claims,  requirements,  and  even 
beyond  the  ideas  and  desires  of  men  in  the  state  of  merely  natural 
endowments. — Bishop  Bellord. 

VARIOUS  GRADES  OF  PUNISHMENT  IN  HELL 

We  do  not  belong  to  the  ranks  of  those  profligates,  whose  whole 
lives  are  devoted  to  outraging  religion  and  morality,  who  are  the 
declared  enemies  of  God  and  man.  Our  destination  cannot  be  the 
same  as  theirs.  It  would  be  unjustly  to  place  us  on  the  same  level 
with  them.  Hell  with  its  eternity  of  terrible  torments  is  altogether 
out  of  proportion  with  our  present  state,  tepid  though  that  state 
may  be.  Yet  it  is  no  presumption  in  favour  of  our  salvation  that  we 
are  not  as  worthy  of  hell  as  the  worst  sinner.  By  similar  reasoning 
we  should  be  unfit  for  Heaven,  for  we  can  not  think  ourselves  worthy 
of  that  ineffable  glory  that  belongs  to  the  Mother  of  God,  the 
seraphim,  and  the  highest  Saints.  But  there  are  varieties  of  reward 
and  punishment  adapted  precisely  to  the  character  of  each  individual; 
for  each  one  is  himself  the  source  and  measure  of  his  joy  or 
suffering.  As  star  differeth  from  star  in  glory,  so  too  is  there 
the  widest  diversity  among  the  fallen  stars.  We  may  not  be  very 
bad;  but  there  is  place  in  hell  for  all  classes  of  criminals.  Would 
not  a  state  of  tempered  punishment  in  hell  be  more  accordant  with 
our  worthlessness,  than  any  participation,  however  limited,  in  the 
infinite  sanctity  and  glory  of  the  Divinity? — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  "MEA  CULPA"   OF  THE  DAMNED 

Imagine  a  man  who  in  his  drunkenness  sets  his  house  on  fire,  what 
his  despair  will  be  when  with  the  return  of  his  reason  he  realizes 
that  through  his  own  fault  he  has  lost  everything  he  possessed,  and 
that  he  never  will  be  able  to  gain  back  what  his  folly  robbed  him  of. 
Thus   the   damned    in    their    fearful    suffering   will    be   compelled   to 


HELL  97 

remember  that  they  lost  Heaven  and  are  in  hell  through  their  own 
fault. — St.  John  of  the  Cross. 

THE  REMORSE  OF  THE  DARINED 

A  damned  person  once  appeared  to  St.  Hubert,  and  said,  that  two 
remorses  were  his  most  cruel  executioners  in  hell :  the  thought  of 
the  little  which  was  necessary  for  him  to  have  done  in  this  life  to 
secure  his  salvation ;  and  the  thought  of  the  trifles  for  which  he 
brought  himself  to  eternal  misery. 

The  thought  of  having  been  the  cause  of  their  own  damnation 
produces  an  internal  pain,  which  enters  into  the  very  bones  of  the 
damned,  and  prevents  them  from  ever  enjoying  a  moment's  repose. 
Hence,  each  of  them  shall  be  to  himself  an  object  of  the  greatest 
horror.  Each  shall  suffer  the  pain  threatened  by  the  Lord :  I  will 
set  thee  before  thy  face.  O  fool,  he  will  say,  that  I  have  been ! 
If  I  had  suffered  for  God  the  pains  to  which  I  have  submitted  for 
the  indulgence  of  my  passions — if  the  labours  which  I  have  endured 
for  my  own  damnation  had  been  borne  for  my  salvation,  how  happy 
should  I  now  be  ! — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

After  having  eaten  the  potage  of  lentils  for  which  he  sold  his 
right  of  primogeniture,  Esau  was  tortured  with  grief  and  remorse 
for  what  he  had  lost,  and  roared  out  with  a  great  cry.  Oh.  how 
great  shall  be  the  roaring  and  howling  of  the  damned,  at  the  thought 
of  having  lost,  for  a  few  poisonous  and  momentary  pleasures,  the 
everlasting  kingdom  of  paradise,  and  of  being  condemned  for  eternity 
to  a  continual  death  ! — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

AN  EVU.   SPIRIT'S   DESCRIPTION  OF  HELL 

A  holy  priest  was  once  casting  the  devil  out  of  a  man  who  was 
possessed,  and  while  he  was  doing  so  he  said  to  him:  "In  the  Name 
of  God  tell  me  what  are  the  punishments  the  wicked  suffer  in  hell?" 
Satan  answered:  "The  punishments  the  lost  suffer  in  hell  are  a 
continual  burning  in  an  abyss  of  fire,  remorse,  and  despair ;  but  the 
greatest  suffering  of  all  is  not  to  be  able  to  see  God,  who  made  them, 
and  whom  by  their  own  fault  they  have  lost."  "What  would  you 
now  do  to  be  able  to  obtain  the  opportunity  of  re-entering  God's 
grace?" 

"I  would  willingly  suffer  all  the  torments  of  hell  for  ten  thousand 
years,  if  I  could  only  see  God  for  one  moment,  and  if  I  had  a  body  like 
you  I  would  be  always  at  His  feet  begging  for  mercy.  Oh,  if  men 
only  knew  what  it  is  to  lose  the  grace  of  God!" 

I  CANNOT  BEAR  THIS  MUCH  LONGER! 

One  day  St.  Bernard  went  to  see  a  man  who  was  very  ill.  He 
had  all  his  lifetime  been  negligent  in  his  religious  duties,  and  now, 
when  he  was  so  near  the  end  of  his  life,  he  would  not  hear  of 
returning  to  God  by  a  sincere  repentance.  St.  Bernard  asked  God 
very  earnestly  to  show  mercy  to  this  poor  sinner.  So  when  he 
went  to  see  him  he  sat  down  at  his  bedside  and  began  to  speak 
to  him  about  his  sickness.  "Yes,  sir,"  said  the  man,  as  he  tossed  about 


98      ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LWSTRUCTIONS 

in  his  bed  from  the  greatness  of  the  pain,  "  I  am  indeed  suffering 
awful  torments.  Oh,  I  cannot  bear  this  any  longer — I  cannot  bear 
this  any  longer !  It  must  come  to  an  end  soon ! "  St.  Bernard 
looked  with  eyes  full  of  pity  on  the  poor  sufferer,  and  the  tears 
began  to  fall  from  his  eyes.  The  sick  man  saw  him  weeping. 
"Ah!  dear  sir,"  he  said,  "I  see  you  feel  for  me!  I  see  you 
are  moved  at  the  sight  of  what  I  am  suffering.  Is  not  my 
condition  one  to  be  pitied?"  "Yes,  my  poor  man,  your  condition 
is  indeed  one  to  be  pitied,  but  these  tears  flow  from  my  eyes,  not 
so  much  on  account  of  the  state  of  your  body,  but  because  of 
the  state  of  your  soul.  I  am  thinking  that  in  a  very  short  time, 
perhaps  in  a  few  hours,  your  poor  soul  must  leave  the  body,  and 
then  be  at  once  cast  into  hell  for  ever  and  ever,  because  you  have  not 
served  God  on  earth.  And  I  imagine  that  I  hear  it  saying  there 
the  same  words,  '  I  cannot  bear  this  much  longer  ! '  and  yet  it  shall 
have  to  bear  for  ever  and  ever  torments  infinitely  greater  than  those 
you  are  now  suffering.  Poor  unfortunate  man ! "  The  sick  man  was 
much  impressed  by  the  truth  of  these  words  and  at  once  made  his 
peace  with  God. 

HOW  A  SAINT  CONVERTED  A  SINNER 

St.  Lidwina  was  for  thirty-eight  years  a  perfectly  helpless  sufiferer 
of  fearful  pains.  She  became  by  her  patience,  and  perfect  conformity 
to  God's  will,  a  great  Saint,  and  converted  many  sinners.  One  day  a 
nobleman,  who  had  lost  his  faith  on  account  of  his  wicked  life,  came 
to  her  and  in  mockery  said  he  was  going  to  make  his  confession  to 
her.  She  tried  to  stop  hun,  but  she  could  not,  for  she  could  not  move 
about.  So  he  told  her  of  his  horrible  sins,  even  boasting  of  them. 
When  he  got  through,  he  insisted  that  she  should  give  him  a  penance. 
Inspired  by  God,  she  asked  him :  "  You  have  a  comfortable  bed  at 
home,  have  you  not?"  "Yes,  my  bed  is  most  comfortable."  "Your 
penance  is  this :  when  you  retire  to  rest  this  night,  take  in  your 
bed  the  most  comfortable  position  you  can  find,  and  then  do  not  stir 
from  it  until  your  usual  hour  for  rising."  The  nobleman  went  away 
laughing  at  such  an  easy  penance.  At  night  he  took  what  he 
considered  the  most  comfortable  position ;  but  he  could  not  sleep ; 
after  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  would  have  liked  to  move,  but  did  not. 
After  some  time,  he  could  bear  it  no  longer,  and  the  thought  came 
to  him:  "If  I  cannot  bear  for  a  few  hours  the  discomfort  of  such 
an  easy  penance,  how  shall  I  be  able  to  bear  the  horrible  pains 
of  hell,  for  all  eternity?"  This  thought  frightened  him,  and  in  the 
morning  he  went  to  a  priest  and  made  his  confession. 

— F.  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

THE  THOUGHT  OF  HELL  A  PROTECTION  AGAINST  SINNING 

If  we  are  always  thinking  of  hell  we  shall  not  easily  fall  into  it. 
For  this  cause  God  has  threatened  punishment,  for  He  would  not 
have  done  so  if  there  was  not  great  advantage  in  thinking  of  it. 
But  because  the  remembrance  of  it  is  effectual  for  good,  He  has 
fixed  the  menace  in  our  souls  as  a  wholesome  medicine.  Let  us  not 
then  neglect  the  great  advantage  derived  from  it,  but  constantly 
reflect  upon  it.     .     .     .     But  dost  thou  fear  the  pain  fulness  of  such 


HELL  m 

words?  Dost  thou  then  extinguish  hell  by  keeping  silent,  or  kindle 
it  by  speaking  of  it?  Whether  thou  speakest  or  not,  that  fire  will 
fiercely  burn.  Let  it  be  continually  spoken  of,  that  thou  mayest 
never  fall  into  it.  It  is  impossible  that  a  soul  anxious  about  hell 
should  readily  sin;  for  hear  that  most  excellent  advice,  "Remember 
thy  last  end  and  thou  shalt  never  sin."  Let  us  not  remember  the 
kingdom  so  much  as  hell,  for  fear  has  more  power  than  the  promise. 
I  know  that  many  would  despise  ten  thousand  blessings  if  they  weie 
not  afraid  of  the  punishment.  .  .  .  None  of  those  who  have  hell 
before  tlieir  eyes  will  fall  into  it ;  none  of  those  who  despise  hell 
will  escape  it.  Those  who  despise  the  threat  will  soon  experience 
the  reality.  Nothing  is  so  profitable  as  to  discourse  about  hell ;  it 
makes  our  souls  purer  than  silver.  .  .  .  Christ  continually  dis- 
courses about  it.  For  if  it  pains  the  hearer,  it  greatly  benefits  him. 
.  .  .  .  Let  us  not  then  avoid  the  remembrance  of  punishment, 
that  so  we  may  escape  punishment.  .  .  .  Let  us  then,  I  beseech 
you,  become  watchful.  Let  us  keep  hell  before  our  eyes.  Let  us 
consider  that  inexorable  account,  that,  by  thinking  of  these  things, 
we  may  avoid  vice  and  choose  virtue ;  and  that  we  may  be  able  to 
obtain  the  blessings  promised  to  those  who  love  Him,  by  the  grace 
and  living  kindness  of  our  Lord. — St.  John  Chrysostotn. 

Let  us  now  in  life  descend  often  into  hell,  that  we  may  not  be 
obliged  to  do  so  after  death. — St.  Bernard. 


CHAPTER    IV 

RELIGION;    FAITH;    THE    CHURCH;    SECRET 
SOCIETIES;    SOCIALISM 

BELIGION 

God  approaching  to  man,  and  man  approaching  to  God,  that  is 
the  summary  of  reHgion.  God  approaching  to  man — this  is  what 
the  great  mysteries  of  our  faith  amounts  to;  this  is  the  truth  mani- 
fested in  the  Divine  works  of  creation,  the  Incarnation,  Redemption, 
Heaven.  Man  approaching  to  God — this  is  the  object  of  our  striv- 
ing in  all  the  acts  of  religion,  in  faith,  prayer,  sacrifice,  self-denial, 
death.  This  drawing  near  of  God  and  man  is  what  actually  takes 
place  in  true  religion.  God  descends  from  His  throne,  visits  the 
brilliancy  of  His  glory,  and  manifests  Himself.  He  appoints  con- 
ditions for  men's  approach  to  Him;  then  He  enters  into  union  with 
them,  becomes  their  life,  their  strength,  their  comfort,  and  satisfies 
the  desire  of  His  own  goodness  to  be  with  the  children  of  men. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

MAN   MADE  FOR  GOD 

There  is  no  such  being  as  a  man  devoid  of  the  aptitude  for  super- 
natural religion.  Every  man  is  made  by  God  and  is  made  for  God. 
Education,  heredity,  temperament,  may  place  special  difficulties  in 
the  way,  but  these  are  no  more  entitled  to  the  respectful  considera- 
tion they  generally  meet  with,  than  a  man's  natural  inclination  toward 
lying,  stealing,  or  debauchery.  God  permits  these  depraved  impulses 
so  that  we  may  have  matter  for  a  struggle  and  glory  for  overcom- 
ing. Opportunities  of  sufficient  knowledge  are  wanting  to  none. 
Education,  abundance  of  communication  with  other  minds,  the  uni- 
versality of  religious  practices  and  worship,  the  interest  and  attrac- 
tion that  seem  to  rise  spontaneously  for  religion,  and  above  all,  the 
grace  of  Him  who  "enlighteneth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world"  (John  i,  9),  all  this  ensures  sufficient  guidance  to  lead  every 
man  through  darkness  to  the  light. — Bishop  Bellord. 

RELIGION  A  WANT  OF  THE  SOUL 

Religion  has  no  varying  and  accidental  relation  to  the  minds  and 
consciences  of  mankind.  It  is  one  of  the  essential  wants  of  the  soul, 
answering  to  its  deepest,  most  spontaneous,  and  universal  cravings. 
Religion  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  facts  in  the  history  of  hu- 
manity, in  every  stage  from  barbarism  up  to  the  highest  refinement. 
Each  element  in  religion  meets  a  corresponding  want  in  human 
nature.  Theie  is  a  craving  in  the  human  soul  for  truth,  as  universal 
as  the  cravmg  for  bodily  nutriment. — Bishop  Bellord. 

NATURAL  RELIGION 

Human  reason  alone  is  able  to  delineate  onlv  the  dim  outlines  ot 
religion.     Its  light  is  too  dim.     It  gives  twilight   glimpses  of  the 

100 


RELIGION  101 

Creator,  too  fugitive  and  indefinite  to  light  the  way.  It  gives  the 
broad  principles  of  duty,  but  its  light  is  not  strong  enough  to  dis- 
cover the  detailed  application  of  these.  It  makes  us  feel  in  a  gen- 
eral way  the  necessity  of  doing  God's  will,  but  it  does  not  declare 
what  that  will  is  and  how  to  do  it.  "The  choices  of  life  are  definite 
things,  and  the  rule  to  guide  our  choice  must  also  be  definite.  It 
can  tell  us  that  all  vice  is  to  be  shunned,  but  it  does  not  tell  us 
whether  this  or  that  particular  thing  is  a  vice.  Natural  religion  is 
a  religion  of  dreams,  its  doctrines  are  vague  as  dreams;  like  dreams 
their  features  are  forever  changing.  It  can  never  rule  men;  it  has 
never  ruled  them.  It  excites  more  longings  in  men  than  it  can 
satisfy.  It  ever  cries  for  more.  It  is  an  alluring  voice  heard  far 
off  through  the  fog  calling  to  them,  'Follow  me,'  but  it  leaves  them 
in  the  fog  to  pick  their  own  way  out  toward  it,  over  rocks  and 
streams  and  pitfalls  which  they  can  but  half  distinguish,  among 
which  they  may  be  killed  or  crippled  and  are  almost  certain  to 
grow  bewildered." — Mallock  (Non-Cath.). 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  possible  helps,  in  what  a  deplorable  muddle 
do  we  find  men  concerning  the  truths  of  natural  religion !  To  begin 
with,  they  had  most  deformed  notions  about  the  nature  of  God. 
Polytheism,  dualism  and  idolatry  flourished  universally;  stars,  plants, 
animals,  wooden  and  metal  idols  were  adored  as  gods,  as  is  still  the 
case  among  barbarous  tribes.  Sanctity  or  purity  was  not  an  attribute 
of  these  grds.  The  most  revolting  vices  and  crimes  were  attributed 
to  them — pride,  envy,  jealousy,  murder,  incest,  rape.  Every  human 
passion  was  defined  and  served  as  a  patron  to  those  addicted  to  such 
a  vice. — Timothy  P.  Holland. 

HIGH  INTELLECTUAL  CULTIVATION  OFTEN  A  HINDRANCE  TO  RELIGION 

High  intellectual  cultivation  besides  being  unable  by  itself  to  raise 
men  to  spiritual  heights,  must  often  be  a  hindrance  to  it;  in  other 
words,  a  highly  cultivated  man,  in  seeking  after  God,  may  be  in  a 
worse  condition  and  less  likely  to  succeed  than  a  man  of  inferior 
gifts.  This  is  indeed  frequently  brought  as  a  reproach  against 
religion,  and  it  may  seem  that  we  are  admitting  too  much,  and  de- 
preciating religion  by  allowing  it.    But  let  us  consider  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  raise  all  the  qualities  of  any  man,  or  any  race 
of  men,  or  of  any  class  of  animals  or  plants,  simultaneously  to  their 
highest  degree.  Nature  is  incapable  of  the  strain  of  so  much  per- 
fection. No  being  can  be  perfect  except  God.  If  the  colours  of  a 
flower  be  cultivated  there  will  be  some  loss  elsewhere,  perhaps  of 
scent  or  of  size.  If  fruit  is  grown  for  size  there  will  be  probably 
a  sacrifice  of  flavour.  Highly  bred  animals  are  weak  in  constitution. 
What  you  gain  on  one  side  is  lost  on  another.  The  more  perfect 
a  thing  is  in  one  quality,  the  more  decided  its  imperfection  on  the 
whole.  The  eye  which  has  been  trained  to  books  and  can  take  in  a 
whole  page  at  a  glance,  could  not  track  lost  cattle  through  the  desert 
or  distinguish  a  distant  sail  at  sea.  A  surgeon  engaged  in  delicate 
operations  could  not  take  violent  exercise;  he  must  forego  strength 
of  muscle  if  he  would  keep  his  steadiness  of  hand.  Excessive  bodily 
exertion  makes  study  impossible,  and  the  highest  mental  cultivation 


102    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

is  seldom  compatible  with  rude  good  health.  If  a  man's  muscle  and 
endurance  are  highly  developed,  it  is  most  likely  that  his  higher 
faculties  will  be  dwarfed.  His  physical  perfection  is  inconsistent  with 
his  general  perfection.  He  is  worse  as  a  man,  because  of  his 
superiority  as  an  animal.  So  too,  the  condition  of  any  exceptional 
genius  is  generally  abnormal  and  morbid;  he  too  is  less  perfect  as  a 
man  because  of  his  very  perfection,  and  there  will  be  some  grave 
defect  in  him  to  counterbalance  the  immense  advantage  he  possesses 
over  other  men.  From  all  of  which  we  may  conclude  that  there  is 
no  depreciation  of  religion  in  admitting  that  the  highest  intellectual 
cultivation  must  often  be  antagonistic  to  it. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE   INTELLECTUAI.   IMPEDIMENT   TO    BELIEF 

There  is  in  our  minds  a  natural  disposition  to  distrust  any  demon- 
stration or  line  of  argument,  the  result  of  which  leads  to  consequences 
which  we  judge  impossible.  He  who  assumes  that  miracles  are  im- 
possible, will  reject  the  Gospel  as  a  tissue  of  impossibilities.  Such 
persons  must  be  reminded  that  their  assumption  of  the  impossibility 
of  miracles  is  altogether  gratuitous,  that  God  has  not  tied  His  own 
hands  by  the  laws  which  He  has  made ;  the  Legislator  is  always  free 
from  his  own  laws,  so  that  He  may  change  or  suspend  them  at  His 
pleasure. — W.  Lockhart, 

NATCRAl.  VIRTrE 

Noble-minded  disciples  of  naturalism  are  parasites  of  a  believing 
society  and  would  die  without  it. — Balfour  (Non-Cath.). 

We  are  ready  to  admit  that  a  few  rare  specimens  of  mankind,  in 
whom  nature  was  more  happily  compounded,  have  been  able  with- 
out the  teachings  of  faith  to  reach  remarkable  perfection  in  natural 
virtue.  The  "good  emperor,"  Marcus  Aurelius,  a  truly  noble-minded 
man,  is  pointed  out  as  a  pagan  saint  because  of  his  self-mastery, 
his  love  of  wisdom  and  his  zeal  for  virtue;  Epictetus,  the  patient 
blind  slave,  by  his  spirit  of  resignation  to  the  ills  of  life,  and  Seneca, 
the  philosopher,  tutor  of  the  Emperor  Nero,  who,  in  the  midst  of 
corruption  and  licentiousness,  lived  an  abstemious  and  frugal  life 
devoted  to  the  search  of  true  wisdom. — Timothy  P.  Holland. 

The  case  of  a  few  naturally  good,  though  irreligious,  men  is 
no  criterion  as  to  the  probable  conduct  of  an  entire  generation  or 
country  without  religion.  The  argument  does  not  extend  from  them 
to  those  others  who  are  not  under  the  influence  of  early  religious 
associations,  who  are  not  restrained  by  philosophy,  refinement,  sense 
of  honour  and  propriety.  The  infidel  multitude  are  more  likely  to 
take  the  view  of  that  man  who,  having  been  restrained  by  his 
scientific  pursuits  and  early  memories  from  sinful  grossness  of  life, 
said  in  his  last  days  that  he  was  sorry  he  had  taken  the  trouble  to 
restrain  himself  and  lead  a  moral  life,  when  he  did  not  acknowledge 
the  religious  need  of  it. — Bishop  Bellord. 

The  numerousness  of  such  cases  is  no  disproof  of  the  truth  that 
all  men  need  religion  and  are  called  to  it  by  God.     It  is  not  incon- 


RELIGION  lOa 

listent  with  the  general  application  of  that  truth,  that  certain  men 
should  remain  for  a  time  without  being  as  yet  called,  or  that  they 
should  have  extinguished  in  themselves  their  natural  aptitudes.  There 
are  some  men  in  whom  certain  ordinary  faculties  arc  almost  extinct. 
Custom  and  disuse,  or  disease,  may  destroy  them.  So  in  the  lowest 
depths  of  the  sea  and  in  the  subterranean  rivers  of  great  caves,  fish 
are  found  that  have  no  eyes ;  they  have  been  reduced  to  this  state 
through  countless  generations  of  ancestors  whose  eyes  have  gradually 
withered  away  through  want  of  use.  But  they  still  have  the  rudi- 
ments of  eyes,  which  in  the  course  of  time,  under  ordinary  conditions, 
might  become  capable  of  vision.  Even  those  who  seem  to  be  without 
the  faculty  for  religion  retain  the  rudiments  of  the  sense  somewhere 
in  their  being,  and  through  this  remnant  grace  can  work  if  they  are 
willing,  and  bring  them  to  the  fulness  of  religion. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  DISPOSITION  FOR  BELIEF 

But  besides  those  persons  who  have  never  considered  the  question 
of  the  Christian  religion  at  all,  or  who  approach  the  subject  with 
little  seriousness,  with  scarcely  any  thought  of  its  importance,  and 
without  adequate  consideration  of  the  arguments  on  which  it  rests, 
there  are,  no  doubt,  some  to  be  found,  of  a  very  different  class. 
These  persons  tell  us  that  they  have  given  long  and  serious  attention 
to  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  but  yet  that  they  are  not  convinced. 
Now,  it  appears  that  this  disposition  of  mind  is  the  result  of  one  or 
other  of  two  causes,  and  sometimes  of  a  combination  of  the  two.  One 
regards  a  certain  moral  disposition  of  the  soul,  and  the  other,  an 
intellectual  disposition. 

First,  with  regard  to  the  moral  disposition.  It  is  certain  that  our 
will  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  our  belief.  The  prejudices  of  educa- 
tion, self-interest,  and  an  unwillingness  to  submit  our  conduct  to  the 
strict  rules  of  the  Gospel  are  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  the  spirit 
of  unbelief;  and  not  wishing  to  find  the  Gospel  true,  but  without 
any  conscious  dishonesty  of  purpose,  the  mind  rests  upon  the  apparent 
difficulties  in  the  evidence,  and  passes  over  the  great  arguments  in  its 
favour:  and  this  is  nothing  more  than  what  we  see  in  the  judgments 
men  form  on  all  matters  in  which  human  passions  are  involved,  in 
the  different  sides  men  take  in  politics,  and  the  conflicting  opinions 
they  hold  concerning  the  character  of  great  historical  personages. 
In  these  matters,  the  opinions  they  form  of  persons  and  principles 
and  even  of  historical  facts,  receive  a  certain  colouring  from  their 
preconceived  views  and  natural  tendencies.  Democrat  and  Republican, 
Whig  and  Tory,  find  it  difficult  to  believe  in  each  other's  sincerity. 
It  is  rare  to  find  men  who  take  pains  of  examining  with  perfect 
candour  the  reasons  of  opponents.  In  like  manner  the  selfish  man  will 
not  believe  in  disinterested  heroism,  the  avaricious  man  in  political 
integrity,  the  sensualist  in  spotless  purity. — W.  Lockhart. 

GOD  OFFERS  TO  AIL  MEN  THE  MEANS  OF  SALVATION 

St.  Thomas  tells  us  that  if  a  pagan  had  acted  according  to  his 
abilities,  God  would  not  suffer  him  to  be  lost  for  want  of  further 
light,  but  would  send  an  angel  to  make  him  a  special  revelation  of 
what  was  necessary.     Have  they  but  a  vague  desire  of  God,   and 


104    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

truth,  and  goodness?  St.  Bridget  and  Sister  Emmerich  speak  of  the 
tenderness  which  the  Divine  Judge  will  show  to  the  heathen  in 
accepting  implicit  instead  of  actual  desires.  Have  some  men  rejected 
revealed  truths?  They  will  perhaps  be  simply  in  the  position  of 
uninstructed  Catholics,  who  have  never  heard  of  certain  doctrines 
or  expressed  adhesion  to  them.  Have  others  hated  and  oppressed 
and  injured  the  Church?  In  some  instances  our  Lord's  words  may 
apply  to  them :  "  Father  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do"  (Luke  xxiii,  34).  Many  by  their  subsequent  conversion  and 
fidelity  show  that  they  acted  in  ignorance ;  that  what  they  hated  was 
not  the  Church  as  she  is,  but  some  figment  of  their  imagination,  or 
some  creation  of  calumny  which  they  mistook  for  her.  However 
imperfect  our  knowledge  may  be,  we  can  still  see  sufficiently  well 
how  God  has  a  care  for  all  His  creatures ;  how  the  means  of  salvation 
are  to  be  found  in  every  condition  of  life;  how  every  man  can  save 
his  soul  if  he  will;  how  no  one  is  punished  in  the  next  life  on  account 
of  his  ignorance  or  want  of  opportunities,  and  how  "in  every  nation, 
he  that  feareth  God,  and  worketh  justice  is  acceptable  to  him"  (Acts 
X,  35.) — Bishop  Bellord. 

REVERENCE   TOWARD  GOD 

But  let  us  not  mistake  the  nature  of  this  godly  fear,  which  we 
call  reverence.  All  who  live  under  the  law  stand  in  awe  of  its 
majesty  and  fear  those  in  whose  keeping  is  its  authority.  Thus 
did  Mephisbosheth  do  reverence  to  David  and  acknowledge  him  for 
his  sovereign.  Now  there  are  two  classes  of  citizens  who  fear  the 
law  and  the  custodians  thereof:  the  law-abiding  citizen  and  the 
law-breaker.  They  both  fear,  yet  how  different  is  the  quality  of 
their  fear !  You  know  how  and  why  the  good  citizen  fears  the  law. 
He  has  assisted  in  its  making,  is  interested  in  its  maintenance,  desires 
its  triumph,  and  would  rush  to  arms  and  die,  if  need  be,  to  uphold 
and  defend  it.  He  respects  the  law,  loves  it.  What  he  fears  about 
it  is  that  he  might,  in  some  moment  of  supreme  folly,  forget  himself, 
go  counter  to  its  mandates  and,  falling  into  its  clutches,  have  to 
pay  the  just  penalty  of  his  crime.  He  loves  the  law  because  it  is 
good;  he  respects  it  because  it  is  just;  he  fears  it  because  it  is  strong 
and  he  himself  is  weak.  The  severity  of  legal  chastisements  awes 
him,  but  dees  not  cow  him,  for  this  very  severity  is  his  own 
protection  and  security,  whose  edge  he  shall  not  feel  unless  he 
comes  to  deserve  it.  And  he  is  determined,  as  far  as  he  is  able,  not 
to  make  himself  amenable  to  the  bar  of  justice. 

But  the  criminal,  deliberate  in  his  rebellion  against  the  law, 
neither  respects  nor  loves  it.  He  simply  fears  with  a  servile  fear, 
a  slavish  dread  and  terror.    He  hates  it. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE  ORDER  OF  NATURE  AND  THE  ORDER  OF  GRACE 

Is  it  conceivable  that  the  characteristic  quality  which  is  so 
prominent  in  the  natural  order  should  be  absolutely  wanting  in  the 
supernatural?  Is  it  conceivable  that  the  beautiful  harmony  and 
unity  which  mark  the  inferior  works  of  God,  should  be  absent  from 
the  most  important  work  of  all ;  that  God  should  have  made  such 
complete  and  regular  provision  for  the  secondary  means  of  salvation, 


RELIGION  105 

and  only  the  most  casual,  scanty,  and  uncertain  provision  for  the 
primary  means  of  salvation,  viz.,  religious  guidance?  Is  there  no 
analogy  between  the  order  of  nature  and  the  order  of  grace 't  The 
general  truths  of  nature  are  certain,  the  laws  of  nature  arc  immu- 
table, the  duties  of  life  always  the  same,  and  they  are  clearly  mani- 
fested to  us.  Would  not  God's  action  be  inconsistent  with  itself, 
if  He  had  left  the  religious  order  in  the  state  that  some  men  con- 
ceive;  in  a  state  of  anarchy  and  lawlessness,  uncertainty  and  discus- 
sion, divided  against  itself,  split  up  into  warring  fragments,  with 
no  fixed  criterion  of  truth,  with  no  authority  to  command  obedience? 
That  is  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  Church  according  to  th.e  majority 
of  non-Catholics.  If  the  same  were  the  Divine  ideal,  it  would  utterly 
falsify  the  Scripture  which  saith  "God  is  not  the  God  of  dissension 
but  of  peace"  (I  Cor.  xiv,  33). — Bishop  Bcllord. 

UNITY  AND  HARMONY  NECESSARY  IN  RELIGION 

The  disintegrated  Christianity  that  exists  outside  the  Catholic 
Church  can  in  no  sense  be  called  a  united  and  universal  kingdom; 
it  does  not  in  any  way  correspond  to  prophecy,  it  is  rather  a  degen- 
eration from  than  a  perfecting  of  the  former  system.  The  progress 
of  the  world  combines  families  into  tribes,  tribes  into  nations,  nations 
into  confederacies,  it  puts  an  end  to  private  feuds  and  civil  wars,  and 
tends  to  discourage  wars  between  nations,  it  organizes  human  efforts 
of  every  kind  throughout  the  world,  and  brings  all  men  into  closer 
relations  with  one  another ;  progress  in  short  promotes  union ;  and 
the  more  united  society  is,  the  more  perfect  is  it.  The  perfection 
of  religion  must  also  consist  in  unity  and  internal  harmony.  If  it 
recedes  from  these,  it  is  on  the  downward  grade  to  dissolution,  it  is 
relapsing  into  the  conditions  of  bygone  barbarous  times,  it  is  inferior 
in  character  to  the  former  Jewish  system  which  it  replaced.  If  it 
were  not  for  the  existence  of  the  Catholic  Church  with  its  broad 
unity,  its  great  numbers,  its  harmonious  organization,  Christianity,  as 
it  is  outside  the  Church,  would  fail  to  accomplish  ancient  prophecy, 
and  would  be  nothing  better  than  a  failure. — Bishop  Bellord. 

RELIGION   THE   STRONGEST   MOTIVE 

The  highest  results  in  the  way  of  good  life  are  attainable  only 
under  the  influence  of  true  and  complete  belief  in  Divine  truths. 
Strong  belief  in  a  religion,  whether  incomplete  and  true  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Jews  of  old,  or  incomplete  and  false  as  in  the  case  of 
Paganism,  Mohammedanism,  and  Protestantism,  has  produced  greater 
effects  on  men's  lives  than  any  other  motive  outside  religion.  It  has 
engendered  by  turns  a  ruthless  fanaticism,  a  violent  though  temporary 
enthusiasm,  great  organizing  and  subduing  forces,  great  devotion, 
courage,  generosity.  Nay,  further,  there  have  been  a  few  exceptional 
cases  in  those  religions  of  men  who,  if  regarded  in  some  aspects  only, 
and  not  scrutinized  too  closely,  miglit  almost  seem  worthy  to  rank 
among  the  Catholic  Saints. — Bishop  Bellord. 

RELIGION  THE  SOURCE  OF  HIGHEST  BEAUTY 

The  beautiful  is  one  of  the  great  sources  of  delight  to  mankind. 
It  is  something  intangible  and  indescribable  inhering  in  things;  it  is 


106    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

something  which  is  different  from  their  material  composition.  We 
cannot  analyze  it.  It  is  a  certain  harmony  and  proportion,  variety 
and  unity,  which  fills  us  with  delight  as  we  contemplate  it.  Whether 
we  consider  a  melody,  or  a  series  of  sounds,  a  mountain  chain,  or  a 
problem  in  mathematics,  a  poem,  a  thunderstorm,  an  invention,  there 
is  a  something  which  is  the  same  in  all,  which  appeals  to  our  sense 
of  beauty  and  gives  us  exquisite  pleasure.  It  is  some  gleam  of 
Divine  beauty  reflected  in  the  creature. 

It  might  be  thought  that  religion  has  no  concern  with  the  science 
of  the  beautiful,  that  it  is  too  austere  to  bend  to  such  frivolity,  and 
that  earthly  beauty  is  rather  the  material  of  self-indulgence  and  sin. 
Not  so.  The  perception  and  enjoyment  and  production  of  beauty 
are  closely  connected  with  God  and  religion.  Religion  is  to  us  the 
source  of  the  highest  beauty  as  well  as  of  truth  and  morality.  The 
Scriptures  speak  of  the  beauty  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  the  figure  of  the 
present  Jerusalem,  the  true  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

—Bishop  Bellord. 

FAITH 

THE  GIFT  OF  FAITH 

It  is  a  magnificent  privilege  to  be  a  Catholic.  The  true  Faith  is 
one  of  the  grandest,  greatest  and  most  sublime  gifts  of  God  to 
man.  It  is  a  gift  we  can  never  be  sufficiently  grateful  for,  and 
which  we  can  never  value  too  highly,  or,  indeed,  half  highly  enough. 
But,  like  every  gift,  it  carries  great  obligations.  It  makes  those 
who  possess  it  doubly  responsible.  They  have  to  watch  over  this 
inestimable  treasure,  to  cultivate  it,  to  make  it  bear  fruit,  to  "trade 
with  it,"  as  the  Scripture  says,  not  to  "bury  it  in  a  napkin."  We 
have  no  warrant  to  treat  it  as  if  it  were  a  charm  or  a  talisman, 
that  will  work  its  marvellous  effects  of  itself  and  independently  of 
our  own  personal  efforts  and  cooperation.  No,  our  responsibilities 
increase  and  grow  in  intensity,  with  every  additional  grace  and 
favour  we  receive.  "To  whom  much  has  been  given,  of  him  much 
shall  be  required." — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

THE   DEFESmON   OF   DI\1NE   FAITH 

I  know  that  China  exists,  and  India,  and  Japan.  I  know  that 
Caesar  was  a  great  man,  and  that  he  wrote  certain  books ;  and 
that  Napoleon  was  a  mighty  commander,  and  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  died  at  St.  Helena.  I  know,  further,  that  the  earth  turns  on 
its  axis,  and  that  the  succession  of  summer  and  winter  is  caused 
by  the  revolution  of  the  earth  round  the  sun.  How  do  I  know  these, 
and  countless  other  similar  facts?  I  have  acquired  them  by  no 
personal  industry.  They  all  come  to  me  on  the  testimony  of  other 
persons.  I  accept  them  without  hesitation  and  without  doubt ;  but 
simply  and  solely  upon  authority. 

Now,  the  acceptance  of  a  statement,  upon  the  authority  of  another, 
is  what  is  called  faith;  and  the  character  of  that  faitli  will  vary,  with 
the  character  and  reliability  of  the  authority  invoked. 

If  the  authority  be  human,  then  faith  is  simply  human  faith.     If 


FAirii  lor 

the  authority  be  Divine,  then  the  faith  is  Divine  faith.  Hence,  \vc 
may  define  Divine  Faith  to  be  the  acceptance  of  any  statements  on 
tlie  authority  of  God. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

rNREASONABLE  AND  REASONABLE  FAITH 

A  simple  servant  girl  meets  a  wandering  gypsy,  who  promises  to 
tell  her  her  fortune,  if  she  will  but  cross  her  hand  with  a  shilling^. 
She  firmly  believes  her  words.  Why?  Simply  because  she  is  old 
and  ugly  and  has  a  hooked  nose  and  wears  a  sugar-loaf  hat.  In  this 
case  the  servant  girl  does,  indeed,  exercise  faith,  but  it  is  a  most 
ill-founded  and  unreasonable  faith.    It  rests  on  a  tottering  foundation. 

On  the  other  hand;  instead  of  a  foolish  serving  niaifl,  take  a 
prudent  man,  who  lies  sick,  but  wishes  to  get  well.  After  due  inquiry, 
he  calls  to  his  bedside  the  most  learned  physician  he  can  find — who 
ha:  already  won  for  himself  a  high  reputation  in  his  own  profession. 
He  not  only  asks  his  advice,  but  he  believes  his  words,  puts  himself 
into  his  hands,  and  carefully  follows  out  all  his  directions.  In  a 
word,  he  "exercises  faith"  in  his  physician.  He  believes  his  words, 
and  acts  upon  them.  This  is  not  an  unreasonable,  but  a  most 
reasonable  and  proper  faith;  and  though  it  is  merely  human  faith, 
its  exercise  is  dictated  by  prudence  and  approved  by  common  sense. 
The  foundation  here  is  practically  firm   and   secure. 

— Bishop  Johit  S.   Vaughan. 

Faith  is  the  substance  of  things  to  be  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of 
things  that  appear  not. — Heb.  XI,  i. 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  hath  Life  Everlasting;  but  he  that 
belicveth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  him. — John  III,  36. 

Take  heed  that  no  men  seduce  you;  for  many  will  come  in  M\ 
Name,  saying:  I  am  Christ,  and  thex  will  seduce  many. 

—Matt'.  XXIV,  4-5. 

Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God.  For  he  that  cometh 
to  God  nmst  believe  that  He  is.  and  is  a  Rezvarder  to  them  that  seek 
Him.— Heb.  XI,  6. 

Amen,  amen  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  who  heareth  My  word,  and 
believeth  Him  Who  sent  Me,  hath  Life  Everlasting,  and  cometh  not 
into  judgment,  but  is  passed  from  death  to  life. — John  V,  24. 

As  many  as  received  Him,  He  gave  them  potuer  to  be  made  the 
sons  of  God,  to  them  that  believe  in  His  Name. — IVho  are  born,  not 
of  blood,  nor  of  the  luill  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  zvill  of  man,  but 
of  God. — John  I,   12-13. 

Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  you  seek  Me  not  because  you  have 
seen  miracles,  but  because  you  did  eat  of  the  loaves,  and  were  tilled. 
— Labour  not  for  the  meat  which  perisheth,  but  for  That  which 
endureth   unto   Life   Everlasting,  which   the  Son   of  man   will  give 


108    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

yon.  For  Him  hath  God,  the  Father,  scaled. — They  said  therefore 
unto  Him:  What  shell  zee  do  that  ive  may  work  the  works  of  God? 
— Jesus  ansivercd,  and  said  to  them:  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that 
you  believe  in  blim  Whom  He  hath  sent. — They  said  therefore  to 
Him:  What  sign  therefore  dost  Thou  shozc  that  zee  may  see,  and 
may  believe  Thee?  zuhat  dost  Thou  work? — Our  fathers  did  eat 
manna  in  the  desert  as  it  is  zn-itten:  He  gave  them  bread  from 
Heaven  to  eat. — Tlien  Jesus  said  to  them:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you: 
Moses  gave  you  not  bread  from  Heaven,  but  My  Father  giveth  you 
the  True  Bread  from  Heaven. — John  VI,  26-32. 

Every  one  that  hcareth  these  My  zvords  and  doth  them  not  shall 
be  like  a  foolish  man  that  built  his  house  upon  the  sand: — And  the 
rain  fell,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  zvinds  blew,  and  they  beat 
upon  that  house;  and  it  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  thereof. 

—Matt.  VII,  26-27. 

Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona:  because  flesh  and  blood  hath 
not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  My  Father  Who  is  in  Heaven. 

—Matt.  XVI,  17. 

For  our  Gospel  hath  not  been  unto  you  in  zvord  only,  but  in  power 
also,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  fulness,  as  you  knozi'  what 
manner  of  men  we  have  been  among  you  for  your  sokes. — And  you 
became  follozuers  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord:  receiving  the  Word  in 
much  tribulation,  with  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — I.  Thess.  I,  5-6. 

FAITH  AND  UNDERSTANDING 

Although  no  one  can  believe  unless  he  understands,  yet  by  the 
very  faith  with  M'hich  he  believes,  he  is  enlightened  to  fuller  under- 
standing. For  there  are  some  things  which  we  do  not  believe  unless 
we  understand  them,  and  others  which  we  do  not  understand  unless 

we  believe If  wisdom  and  truth  are  not  desired  with  all 

the  powers  of  the  soul,  they  can  never  be  discovered By 

love  we  ask,  by  love  we  seek,  by  love  we  knock,  by  love  it  is  revealed 
to  us,  by  love,  in  fine,  we  persevere  in  what  has  been  revealed. 

— St.  Augustine. 

FAITH   THE  FOUNDATION   OF   VIRTUE 

A  mansion  may  be  a  much  more  magnificent  thing,  in  itself,  than 
the  rude  foundation  on  which  it  rests ;  yet,  without  the  foundation 
there  can  never  be  a  mansion  at  all.  So,  in  a  similar  way  other 
virtues  may  be,  and  are,  sublime  and  more  admirable  than  faith;  yet, 
without  faith  they  could  never  exist  at  all.  From  this  we  can  readily 
understand  the  force  of  the  Apostle's  teaching,  vi^ :  "without  faith, 
it  is  impossible  to  please  God." — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

FAITH  AND  GOOD  WORKS 

(i)  Faith  is  the  principle,  the  source,  the  motive  of  good  life. 
Good  life  in  its  highest  expression  is  impossible  without  faith.  (2) 
Faith,  on  the  other  hand,  though  not  exactly  impossible  without 
good  life,  is  dead  and  useless  without  it.     Good  works  are  often 


FAITH  109 

the  source  and  origin  of  faith;  they  are  the  evidence  of  its  life  and 
vigour;  they  are  the  nutrition  and  support  of  faith.  (3)  The  two 
things  together  constitute  true  rehgion ;  they  embrace  the  whole 
spiritual  life  of  man;  they  give  him  here  rest  and  peace,  they  bring 
him  hereafter  to  eternal  life. — Bishop  Bellord. 

FAITH   AND    WORKS 

Protestants  of  the  sixteenth  century  taught  justification  by  faith 
alone,  without  works.  In  the  absence  of  confessional  controversy, 
no  evangelical  Christian  would  now  find  fault  with  the  teaching 
which  declares  only  such  faith  to  be  of  any  worth  which  shows  itself 
by  the  love  of  God  and  the  neighbour. 

LOYALTY  TO  THE  FAITH 

A  certain  Catholic  had  entered  the  army  of  the  Shah  of  Persia, 
and  gained  his  esteem.  One  day  the  Shah  urged  him  to  give  up 
his  religion  and  turn  Mohammedan,  saying:  "If  you  do  this,  I  will 
raise  you  to  the  highest  rank."  The  young  man  replied:  "My  father 
died  in  your  service,  and  I  am  ready  to  do  likewise.  But  if  you 
require  me  to  give  up  my  religion,  here  take  this  sword  and  kill  mc, 
for  I  will  rather  die  than  apostatize."  Struck  by  the  noble  answer 
of  the  soldier,  the  Shah  praised  him  for  his  fidelity  to  God,  and 
soon  raised  him  to  the  highest  honours  in  the  Persian  army. 

— Ferreol  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

DISLOYALTY'  DESPISED 

A  Catholic  young  man  in  Holland  applied  to  a  minister  of  state 
for  a  government  position.  Being  asked  of  what  religion  he  was, 
he  replied  he  was  a  Catholic,  but  added  he  did  not  care  whether 
he  remained  one  or  not.  The  Protestant  statesman  said  to  him : 
"I  have  no  appointment  for  you.  You  were  born  and  brought  up 
in  the  grandest  institution  in  the  world,  and  you  do  not  know  how 
to  esteem  the  privilege.  I  feel  sure  that  a  Catholic  who  does  not 
esteem  and  love  his  faith  as  his  greatest  treasure,  is  not  fit  for  the 
king's  service,  because  he  does  not  know  how  to  serve  his  God." 

— Ferreol  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

THE  APOSTASY   OF  THE  WORLD 

There  is  a  phenomenon  peculiar  to  the  present  day,  as  prominent 
and  as  universal  as  the  double  fact  we  have  been  considering,  of  the 
success  and  the  failure  of  modern  progress;  and  that  is  the  apostasy 
of  the  world  from  God.  The  times  indicated  by  prophecy  seem  to 
have  arrived  when  false  prophets  shall  arise  and  seduce  many ; 
iniquity  shall  abound,  charity  grow  cold,  and  many  shall  depart  from 
the  faith,  giving  heed  to  doctrines  of  devils  (Matt,  xxiv,  12;  I.  Tim. 
iv,  i).  Religion  has  been  dethroned  from  the  height  of  esteem  and 
influence  which  is  rightly  its  own.  It  is  no  longer  publicly  recognized. 
Whilst  in  Judaism  of  old,  and  in  Mohammedanism  even  at  this  day, 
the  civil  law  is  rightly  made  accordant  with  the  religious  law,  nations 
that  call  themselves  Christian  make  no  pretense  of  conforming  their 
acts  to  the  law  that  Christ  laid  down.  The  supernatural  destiny  of 
man  and  the  moral  law  are  alike  ignored.  No  one  would  think  for 
a  moment  of  allowing  any  weight  in  public  life  to  the  revealed  Word 


110    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

of  God.  The  whole  system  of  rehgion  is  treated  as  a  private  matter 
for  individuals,  a  matter  of  fancy  or  a  lingering  superstition.  Not 
only  is  it  set  aside,  but  religion  is  bitterly  attacked.  No  effort  is 
spared  to  misrepresent  it,  to  calumniate  it,  to  hold  it  up  to  ridicule 
and  not  a  few  countries  have  exerted  their  legislative  and  military 
force  to  crush  it  out  of  existence.  In  private  life  multitudes  neglect 
every  form  of  religious  observance,  such  as  prayer,  public  worship, 
and  the  Sacraments ;  they  have  substituted  wrong  for  right,  and  have 
said  to  evil,  "Be  thou  my  god";  they  regard  the  most  atrocious  crimes 
with  indifference,  or  with  amusement,  or  tenderness,  or  respect. 
Many  popular  heroes  are  men  who  would  be  accounted  criminals  if 
their  misdeeds  were  less  enormous;  and  the  chief  objects  of  detesta- 
tion and  ill  treatment  are  those  who  love  truth  and  justice  as  they 
are  in  Christ.  Thus  the  life  of  civilized  men  has  become,  in  great 
measure,  irreligious  and  anti-Christian. — Bishop  Bellord. 

LOSS  OF  FAITH 

Some  years  ago  I  met  a  gentleman  who  was  taking  his  son,  a  boy 
of  about  twelve  years  of  age,  to  a  Catholic  College  to  have  him 
educated.  I  congratulated  him  on  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  and 
the  means  he  was  affording  the  youth  of  acquiring  a  sound  Catholic 
education,  and  I  alluded  to  the  dangers  to  the  Faith  that  lurk  in 
some  sectarian  institutions  of  learning.  "That,"  he  said,  "is  exactly 
the  reason  why  I  am  taking  my  boy  to  a  college  in  which  I  know  his 
Faith  will  be  safeguarded,  for,"  he  added,  "I  deem  the  Faith  the  most 
precious  treasure  he  can  possess  and  the  source  of  the  greatest  happi- 
ness he  can  enjoy."  "Your  sentiments,"  I  remarked,  "do  credit  to 
your  religious  convictions."  "Religious  convictions,"  he  echoed, 
"father,  I  have  none ;  I  have  lost  the  Faith.  When  I  was  my  son's 
age  and  older,  I  had  the  Faith  and  I  had,  too,  the  only  joys  and  bless- 
ings life  ever  afforded  me.  My  parents  were  unfortunate  in  the 
selection  of  a  school  for  me,  it  was  one  in  which  religion  was  depised. 
I  thought  the  correct  thing  for  a  young  man  was  to  profess  hmiself 
emancipated  from  such  a  superstition.  Agnosticism  was  rife  among 
the  students,  and  I  imbibed  its  principles.  Huxley,  Tyndall  and 
Spencer  became  my  trinity.  From  the  day  they  usurped  the  place 
of  the  three  Divine  Persons,  I  parted  with  everything  that  made  life 
worth  living.  I  left  college  a  confirmed  Agnostic  and  the  most 
wretched  of  men.  I  feel,  however,  that  I  owe  a  duty  to  society,  and 
most  of  all  to  my  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  I  have  determined  that 
whatever  else  my  son  inherits  he  shall  not  inherit  his  father's  legacy 
of  woe."  He  noticed  the  amazement  with  which  I  listened  to  his  talc 
and,  anticipating  remonstrances  on  my  part,  he  courteousl)^  said:  "No 
use  arguing,  father,  my  faith  is  lost,  never  to  return."  Here  was  a 
man  of  superior  intelligence,  with  judgment  enough  to  keep  one  he 
loved  from  following  in  his  footsteps,  yet  a  self-confessed  apostate, 
miserable  beyond  expression,  divested  of  the  hope  of  human  power 
to  restore  joy  to  his  heart,  and  of  heavenly  grace  to  restore  peace 
to  his  soul. — John  J.  Hurst. 

Hence,  as  you  know,  the  loss  of  faith  begins  with  religious  in- 
difference, neglect  of  prayer,  neglect  of  Mass,  neglect  of  the  Sacra- 


FAITH  111 

mcnts.  "First  comes  tepidity,"  sinj^s  a  German  poet;  "then  doubt, 
then  hatred  and  derision.  Half-thinking  leads  to  Satan!  whole- 
thinking  leads  to  God."  "No  one,"  says  a  French  abbe,  "shortens 
Ihe  Creed  before  he  has  made  a  breach  in  the  Decalogue."  Surely 
this  is  of  itself  a  proof  that  the  Creed  does  not  need  shortening,  and 
a  proof  that  it  is  Divine  and  true. — P.  J.  Gannon,  S.  J. 

IS  LIFE  WORTH  LIVING? 

"It  was  a  wonderfully  balmy  evening  in  the  fall  of  1905,"  relates 
Rev.  L.  Ballet,  missionary  in  Japan,  "and  the  sun  had  just  set  behind 
Mount  Fiji.  Unexpectedly  a  young  Japanese  appeared  in  front  of  me, 
desiring  to  talk  to  me.  I  noticed  that  he  was  a  young  student.  I 
bade  him  enter,  and  we  saluted  each  other  with  a  low  bow,  as  persons 
meeting  for  the  first  time.  I  asked  him  to  take  a  seat  opposite  me, 
and  took  advantage  of  the  first  moments  of  silence  to  take  a  good 
look  at  him.  But  imagine  my  astonishment  when  his  first  question 
was,  'Do  you  believe  life  is  worth  living?'  asked  in  an  earnest  but 
calm  manner.  I  confess  this  question  from  lips  of  one  so  young 
alarmed  me,  and  went  to  my  heart  like  a  thrust.  'Why,  certainly,' 
was  my  reply  'life  is  worth  living,  and  living  good.  How  do  you 
come  to  ask  a  question  that  sounds  so  strange  from  the  lips  of  a  young 
man?  You  certainly  do  not  desire  to  follow  the  example  of  your 
fellow-countryman,  Fijimura  Misao,  who  jumped  into  the  abyss  from 
Mount  Kegon?'  'No,  sir,  at  least  not  yet.  I  confess,  however,  that 
I  feel  my  hesitation  to  be  cowardice,  for  I  have  made  this  resolution 
for  some  time.  In  my  opinion  man  is  purely  a  thing  of  blind  accident, 
a  wretched,  ephemeral  fly  without  importance,  without  value.  Why 
then  prolong  a  life  in  which  a  little  pleasure  is  added  to  so  much 
sorrow,  so  much  disappointment;  a  life  that  at  any  rate  finally  melts 
away  into  nothing?  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  this  is  the 
truth.'  'And  what  brought  you  to  such  views?'  'Well,  science, 
philosophy,  the  books  which  I  have  read,  for  pastime  or  study.  If 
it  were  only  the  opinion  of  our  few  Japanese  scientists  one  might 
hesitate;  but  the  science,  the  philosophy,  of  Europe,  translated  and 
expounded  by  our  writers,  teach  the  same  thing.  God,  soul,  future 
life,  all  is  idle  delusion.  Nothing  is  eternal  but  only  matter.  After 
twenty,  thirty,  sixty  years,  man  dies,  and  there  remains  nothing  of 
him  but  his  body,  which  will  decay  in  order  to  pass  into  other  beings, 
matter  like  He  was.  This  is  what  science  teaches  us;  a  hard  doctrine, 
I  confess;  but  what  is  there  to  be  said  against  it,  considering  the 
positive  results  of  scientific  research?'"  Such  is  the  disastrous  result 
of  materialistic  teaching. 

RESISTING  THE  KNOWN  TRUTH 

To  resist  the  known  truth  does  not  mean  to  refuse  an  intellectual 
assent  to  a  truth  proposed.  A  known  truth  is  a  proposition  which  one 
has  already  weighed  and  recognized  as  true.  To  resist  the  known 
truth  is  to  refuse  to  take  it  into  account  in  regulating  the  moral  life. 
Thus  I  may  argue  out  the  existence  of  God  from  the  existence  of 
created  things.  But  my  assent  to  the  existence  of  God  is  not  an 
act  of  faith  until,  under  the  influence  of  grace,  I  have  recognized 
God  as  wv  God  and  m\  reward.     This  is  the  faith  without  which 


112    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

it  is  impossible  to  please  God.  "For  he  that  cometh  to  God  must 
believe  that  He  is  and  is  the  rewarder  to  them  that  seek  Him."  This 
is  a  necessary  means  of  salvation.  To  refuse  such  means  of  salvation 
is  to  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  To  persevere  in  such  refusal  is 
to  run  the  risk  of  final  impenitence,  for  final  perseverance  is  nothing 
but  death  at  an  opportune  moment.  Death,  however,  is  a  visitor 
certain  in  his  coming,  but  most  uncertain  in  his  time  of  coming. 

— H.  G.  Hughes. 

For  from  a  perverse  will  proceeded  lust  or  strong  desire,  and  the 
serving  this  lust  produced  custom,  and  custom  not  resisted  became  a 
moral  necessity,  with  which,  as  with  certain  links  fastened  one  to 
another  (for  which  reason  I  called  it  a  chain),  I  was  kept  close 
shackled  by  this  cruel  slavery. — St.  Augustine. 

THE   OBSTACLES   TO   CHKISTIANITY 

Looked  at  from  a  natural  point  of  view,  Christianity  had  every- 
thing against  it;  and,  regarded  from  the  same  standpoint,  paganism, 
which  after  three  centuries  lay  prostrate,  defeated  in  its  fierce 
struggle  with  the  religion  of  Christ,  had  had  all  things  capable  of 
ensuring  it  victory.  At  no  time  have  enlightenment  and  culture  stood 
higher  than  they  did  under  the  Roman  emperors.  Civilization  had 
reached  its  culminating  degree.  Art,  even  long  before  this  period, 
had  attained  to  an  excellence  which  has  hardly  ever  since  been  ap- 
proached, not  to  say  surpassed.  The  literature  of  ancient  Rome,  to- 
gether with  that  of  Greece,  was  of  so  perfect  a  nature  that,  across 
the  ages  down  to  our  own  times,  Plato  and  Homer,  Cicero  and  Virgil, 
as  well  as  a  host  of  others,  have  kept  their  place  as  examples  of 
what  polite  literature  in  style  and  in  beauty  of  expression  ought  to  be. 

What  had  the  Apostles  and  the  early  Christians  to  offer  in  oppo- 
sition to  this  learning  with  its  finish  of  style  and  beauty  of  diction? 
Those  first  heralds  of  the  Gospel  and  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  had  none  of  the  wisdom  of  the  world,  and,  as  society  reckons 
learning,  no  learning.  St.  Paul  himself  says  that  among  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ  there  were  not  many  wise,  not  many  learned,  not  many 
imbued  with  the  knowledge  of  the  philosophy  of  the  days  in  which 
they  lived.  They  had  a  doctrine  to  offer ;  but  it  was  a  doctrine 
which  went  directly  against  three-fourths  of  those  things  which  are 
the  dearest  to  human  nature,  and  which  even  severely  censured  most 
of  the  habits  which  had  the  society  of  that  day  so  firmly  within  their 
grasp.  The  process  of  breaking  with  such  habits  would  be  a  very 
painful  one.  To  an  age  in  which  self  had  been  elevated  to  the 
rank  of  a  God,  the  Christian  and  Catholic  religion  preached  self- 
denial.  To  a  people  with  whom  every  kind  of  pleasure  had  been 
made  to  appear  not  only  delectable  but  commendable,  it  is  said  that 
mortification  and  discomfort  formed  the  better  way.  How  could 
such  a  religion  hope  naturally  to  make  progress? — Joint  Freeland. 

CHRISTIANITY  APPARENTI.Y  DEFEATED 

The  triumph  of  Our  Lord's  enemies  was  complete.  They  had 
avenged  themselves  fully  on  Him  for  holding  them  up  to  scorn  and 
denouncing  their  hypocrisies.     He  had  gained  a  great  hold  on  the 


FAITH  113 

people,  He  had  spoken  of  a  new  era  in  religion.  For  a  while  they 
had  feared  Him,  but  now  their  power  was  confirmed,  they  could  go 
on  in  their  own  way  as  before,  no  more  would  be  heard  of  this  dan- 
gerous movement.  He  was  safely  dead,  and  they  could  sate  them- 
selves with  the  memory  of  His  utter  failure,  His  frightful  sufferings, 
His  indelible  disgrace. 

The  followers  of  Jesus  were  discouraged  and  broken.  Simple, 
uncultivated  men,  called  from  their  fishing-nets  to  follow  One  whose 
works  they  saw,  but  whose  ideas  they  could  not  comprehend,  their 
faith  failed  under  the  trial,  they  were  "scandalized"  in  Him.  The 
Holy  Ghost  was  net  yet  given  to  them,  Satan  still  had  power  to  sift 
them  like  wheat.  They  laid  aside  their  hopes  of  the  re-establishment 
of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  of  sitting  at  the  right  hand  and  at  the 
left  hand  of  their  Master.  They  hid  themselves,  or  hastened  away  to 
their  homes  and  previous  daily  labours.  None  kept  the  faith  but  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mother;  she  alone,  who  possessed  the  secret  of  His 
Divinity,  was  able  to  trust  in  His  promises  and  look  forward  to  His 
triumph. — Bishop  Bcllord. 

THE  TESTIMONY  SUPPORTING  CHRISTIANITY 

The  original  evidence  of  Christianity  rests  upon  the  testimony  of 
contemporary  writers  who  tell  us  of  the  facts  of  which  they  were  eye- 
witnesses,— the  life  and  miracles,  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ.  They  wrote  so  nearly  at  the  time  of  the  events  they  narrate, 
that  if  their  testimony  could  have  been  impeached,  thousands  would 
have  impeached  it;  and  some  record  of  this  would  have  been  handed 
down  by  contemporary  Jewish  or  Pagan  authors ;  for  they  were  the 
few,  and  their  opponents  were  the  many;  they  were  vmdistinguished 
and  powerless,  whilst  all  the  engines  of  power  and  learning  were  on 
the  other  side.  Yet  they  succeeded  in  gaining  credit  for  their  state- 
ments. On  one  day  three  thousand,  and  on  another  five  thousand  in 
Jerusalem  were  converted  to  the  Faith, — men  who  had  seen  Jesus  and 
heard  Him,  and  seen  Him  crucified  only  two  months  before.  And 
what  personal  advantage  did  the  Apostles  gain  by  their  statements  ? — 
Persecution,  scourging,  imprisonment,  were  the  immediate  result  of 
them  to  their  followers.  In  the  midst  of  this  aspect  of  affairs  it  was 
that  one  of  the  leading  men  of  their  opponents,  a  man  who  would 
have  been  remarkable  in  any  age, — the  learned  Pharisee,  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  who  had  every  thing  to  lose  in  this  world  by  the  act, — gave 
his  adhesion  to  the  new  religion,  compelled  by  that  testimony  which 
he  felt  to  be  irresistible,  when  once  his  attention  had  been  drawn 
to  it  by  his  vision  on  the  road  to  Damascus. — W.  Lockhart. 

PRIMITIVE  CHRISTIANITY 

Protestants  do  not  generally  know  that  the  identity  of  the  Catholic 
religion  and  primitive  Christianity  is  a  first  principle  with  us,  and 
has  always  been  so,  centuries  before  Protestantism  was  heard  of;  this 
is  the  one  and  only  basis  on  which  the  Catholic  Church  rests  her 
exclusive  right  to  "teach  all  nations,"  and  has  always  rested  on  it. 
Disprove  the  justness  of  this  claim,  and  you  have  reduced  the  Catholic 
Church  to  the  level  of  one  of  the  sects. — ]V.  Lockhart. 


114    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 
REVELATION  AND  TRADITION 

THE  MEANTVQ   OF  KEVELATION 

We  may  indeed,  conclude  by  means  of  reasonings  more  or  less 
satisfactory,  that  there  must  be  a  God,  a  great  First  Cause;  yet  such 
conclusions  of  reason  are  not  direct  knowledge.  What  I  mean  by  a 
revelation,  in  the  theological  or  religious  sense  of  the  word,  is  some 
proof  given  to  us,  through  our  senses,  of  a  message  from  the  spiritual 
v.-orld,  bringing  us  direct  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  God,  of  His 
rights  and  our  duties,  of  a  future  life,  and  what  course  we  must  take 
to  secure  happiness  after  death.  Hence  we  see  that  if  direct  knowl- 
edge of  God  and  our  future  state  be  necessary  to  man,  and  if  he 
cannot  acquire  this  knowledge  by  any  natural  means,  the  supernatural 
assistance  of  revelation  is  necessary. — IV.  Lockluirt. 

I  give  you  to  understand,  brethren,  that  the  Gospel  which  was 
preached  by  me  is  not  according  to  man. — For  neither  did  I  receive  it 
of  man,  nor  did  I  learn  it:  but  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 

— Gal.  I,  11-12. 

INCOMPLETENESS  OF  REVELATION 

Revelation  must  of  necessity  be  incomplete,  in  this  sense,  that 
though  it  be  complete  enough  for  God's  purposes  in  us,  it  does  not 
unfold  Divine  mysteries  to  us  in  their  entirety.  Our  capacities  are 
very  limited.  God  may  say  to  us,  as  Our  Lord  to  the  Apostles:  "I 
have  yet  many  things  to  say  to  you,  but  you  cannot  bear  them  now" 
(John  xvi,  12).  Our  minds  can  not  rise  to  the  heights  of  Divine 
mysteries,  our  speech  can  not  convey  them ;  it  is  not  given  to  man 
to  utter  them,  as  St.  Paul  says  of  those  things  which  God  showed 
him.  Such  knowledge  would  also  increase  our  responsibilities  be- 
yond our  strength;  it  would  be  a  source  of  danger  to  us,  "lest  the 
greatness  of  the  revelations  should  lift  us  up"  (H  Cor.  xii,  7). 

—Bishop  Bellord. 

INCOMPLETENESS  OF  CHRISTIAN  EVIDENCE 

Many  complain  of  the  difificultics  and  insufficiencies  in  the  evidence 
in  favour  of  Christianity  and  the  Church.  It  does  not  come  up  to 
their  notion  of  what  the  evidence  should  be.  But  we  must  not  sup- 
pose that  the  incompleteness  of  the  evidence  is  the  real  cause  why  so 
many  men  persevere  to  the  end  in  rejecting  the  true  Faith.  Those 
who  urge  such  a  pretext  would  probably  continue  to  disbelieve,  even 
were  the  evidence  as  clear  as  they  demand  it  to  be.  To  grant  them 
more  convincing  proofs  would  be  not  only  casting  pearls  before  swine, 
but  it  would  be  increasing  their  responsibility  and  their  sin.  If  a 
completer  revelation  were  necessary  for  begetting  Divine  faith  in  any 
souls,  we  may  be  sure  that  God  would  have  given  it  to  them.  Those 
who  find  fault  with  the  sufficiency  of  what  God's  Providence  has  done 
for  their  enlightenment  are  the  counterpart  of  those  Jews  of  old  who 
found  the  evidence  of  the  Resurrection  imperfect.  Our  Lord  antici- 
pated that  very  objection  to  His  Resurrection.  He  provided  against 
it,  and  gave  a  proof  of  its  insincerity.  In  the  parable  of  Lazarus 
and  Dives,  Abraham  is  represented  as  saying  to  the  rich  man  about 
his  incredulous  brethren,  "They  have  Moses  and  the  Prophets.     If 


REVELATION  AND  TRADITION  115 

they  believe  them  not,  then  neither  if  one  rose  from  the  dead  would 
they  believe."  This  was  verified  when  Our  Lord  raised  His  friend, 
the  actual  Lazarus,  from  th&  dead.  One  did  rise  from  the  dead,  and 
Lore  witness  to  Our  Lord,  but  his  enemies  would  net  believe.  The 
miracle  was  wrought  before  a  multitude,  it  was  noised  abroad  and 
well  known.  Lazarus  was  seen  in  public.  Did  men  accept  Our  Lord 
the  more  on  that  account?  No.  For  "the  chief  priests  thought  to 
kill  Lazarus  also,  because  many  of  the  Jews,  by  reason  of  him,  went 
away  and  believed  in  Jesus"  (John  xii,  lo,  ii).  What  wilful  blind- 
ness, what  a  perverse  choice  of  evil  before  good.  It  would  be  well 
nigh  incredible,  were  not  the  examples  of  it  too  numerous.  The  ap- 
pearance of  Our  Lord  once  more  before  Ananias,  and  Herod,  and  the 
Pharisees,  would,  so  far  from  converting,  have  stimulated  them  to 
attempt  further  outrages  upon  Him  in  His  glorified  state. 

—Bishop  Bcllord. 

THE   MEASURE   OF   REVELATION    SUITED   TO    OUB   CONDITION 

We  are  not  adapted  for  an  unlimited  increase  of  spiritual  knowl- 
edge. In  the  second  place  then,  darkness  is  suitable  to  our  present 
condition  of  corruption  and  the  limited  nature  of  our  faculties.  We 
could  not  bear  the  fulness  of  the  revelation  of  God.  Moses,  who  in 
type  was  the  nearest  approach  to  the  image  of  Our  Blessed  Lord  in 
the  Old  Testament,  the  great  channel  of  early  revelation,  the  leader 
of  the  people  of  God,  the  founder  of  the  first  dispensation,  he  who 
was  the  friend  of  God  and  conversed  familiarly  with  Him,  Moses 
asked  for  this  fuller  revelation  and  it  was  not  granted  to  him:  "Show 
me  Thy  face,"  he  said,  "that  I  may  know  Thee";  and  again,  "Show 
me  Thy  glory."  And  God  made  answer,  "Thou  canst  not  see  My 
face;  for  man  shall  not  see  Me  and  live."  And  again  God  told  him 
on  his  repeated  request,  that  He  would  place  him  in  a  cleft  of  the 
rock  and  protect  him  with  His  right  hand  so  that  he  might  see,  as  it 
were,  the  skirts  of  His  glory  as  He  passed  bv,  "but  my  face,"  He 
said,  "thou  canst  not  see"   (Exod.  xxxiii). — Bishop  Bellord. 

REVELATION   SUFFICIENT 

Mankind  being  what  they  are,  have  we  any  reason  for  supposing 
that  a  further  revelation  from  God  would  have  any  good  effect? 
Is  it  not  probable  that  what  we  each  receive,  and  what  has  been 
given  to  the  world  at  large,  incomplete  though  it  be,  and  insuffi- 
cient to  answer  all  difficulties  and  objections,  is  precisely  the  quantity 
which  is  most  beneficial  to  us?  Is  it  not  likely  that  God  has  so 
moderated  the  light  that  it  is  enough  for  human  nature  such  as  it  is, 
and  enough  for  the  purposes  of  our  existence,  yet  not  so  much  as  to 
overburden  us  and  increase  our  responsibilities  beyond  human 
strength?  It  may  be  that  fewer  still  would  be  found  faithful  with 
more  abundant  light.  "To  whom  they  have  committed  much,  of  him 
they  will  demand  the  more"  (Luke  xii,  48).  Correspondence  with 
our  present  graces  is  difficult  enough  almost  to  make  us  envy  those 
who  have  received  much  less  than  we ;  because  with  their  actual 
opportunities  they  may  yet  rise  higher  than  we  ever  shall,  while,  if 
unfaithful,  they  can  never  fall  so  low.  So  at  the  day  of  Judgment, 
Sodom  and  Gomorrha,  with  all  their  ignorance  and  crimes,  will  fare 


116    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

better  than  many  who  actually  looked  on  the  face  of  God-made  man, 
who  were  moved  by  His  words  of  power  and  saw  His  miraculous 
works.  Perhaps  the  chief  result  of  further  light  would  be  to  make 
unbelievers  more  incredulous  still  of  Divine  mysteries.  The  difficulty 
in  many  cases  is  not  that  too  little  has  been  revealed,  but  rather  too 
much.  They  who  reject  what  is  offered  to  them  might  perhaps  have 
accepted  less.  A  greater  quantity  would  only  afford  them  additional 
opportunities  for  blasphemy  and  unbelief.  The  present  revelation, 
if  made  to  the  Children  of  Israel  of  old,  would  have  been  too  ad- 
vanced for  their  stage  of  development  both  mental  and  spiritual. 
Mankind  needed  to  grow  much  older  and  acquire  more  cultivation  of 
various  kinds,  before  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity  could  be  revealed  to 
them  or  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  accomplished.  These 
doctrines  might  have  been  to  them  fresh  incentives  to  polytheism  and 
to  new  corruptions  of  the  truth.  The  revelation  which  they  received, 
fuller  than  that  possessed  in  fragments  by  the  Gentiles,  was  more 
than  the  Jews  would  bear  and  act  up  to.  We  may  conclude  that  much 
the  same  would  be  the  case  now,  and  that  a  more  complete  revelation 
would  be  in  advance  of  our  actual  state  of  development. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

REVELATION  AND  INBELIEK 

But,  it  may  be  objected,  if  the  evidence  for  the  Christian  revelation 
is  so  strong,  how  is  it  that  so  many  persons  in  this  world,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  present  day,  have  not  found  it  sufficient  to  convince 
them?  How  is  it  that  there  are  any  unbelievers?  "How  is  it,  that 
I  myself,"  a  person  may  say,  "do  not  feel  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity?"  Now,  in  the  first  place,  I  reply  that  the  fact  of  many 
persons  not  believing,  affords  no  presumption  against  those  who  do ; 
for  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  great  majority  of  unbelievers 
have  given  careful  attention  to  the  matter;  and  the  presumption  is 
that  they  have  not ;  because  taking  believers  and  unbelievers  together, 
we  find  that  questions  of  religion  affect  most  men  less  than  questions 
of  the  present  life,  temporal  interests  and  the  pleasures  of  the  senses. 

—W.  Lockhart. 

REVELATION   AND    TRADITION 

The  Christian  Revelation  comes  to  us  through  the  testimony  of 
eye  witnesses;  but  here,  at  the  very  outset,  we  must  anticipate  an 
objection.  Many  persons  have  said:  "Here  is  the  difficulty  of  receiv- 
ing Christianity,  that  we  are  called  on  to  believe  at  second  hand.  If 
we  had  seen  with  our  own  eyes  the  alleged  facts,  the  case  would  have 
been  very  different;  but  whatever  rests  on  this  kind  of  testimony 
seems  to  our  minds  cloudy  and  uncertain." 

But  really,  to  argue  thus,  is  to  go  against  common  sense,  and  to 
show  that  we  do  not  understand  the  philosophy  of  human  testimony 
although  we  act  upon  it  hourly  in  every  relation  of  life.  The  food 
which  we  eat,  the  medicine  which  we  take,  we  receive  on  the  testi- 
mony of  others.  We  trust  the  cook  and  apothecary,  for  we  have  not 
investigated  for  ourselves,  by  chemical  tests,  whether  that  particular 
meat,  or  that  especial  medicine,  may  not  contain  deadly  poison.  We 
cannot  prove  to  ourselves  that  we  are  the  children  of  our  own  parents, 
we  take  the  fact  on  testimony ;  the  laws  of  the  land  are  framed  on 
the  same  principle,  and  all  questions  of  property  are  decided  by  the 


REVELATION  AND  TRADITION  117 

examination  of  witnesses — that  is,  by  testimony.  If  a  man  will  not 
accept  testimony,  but  will  believe  only  what  his  own  senses  tell  him 
he  is  fit  only  for  the  solitary  confinement  of  a  maniac,  for  indeed  he 
will  have  become  one. — IV.  Lockhart. 

TRAniTION 

The  tradition  of  the  Church  is  the  continual  handing  down, 
whether  by  word  or  writinp^,  without  addition  or  diminution,  of  the 
whole  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles,  by  virtue  of  the  per- 
petual guidance  of  the  teaching  Body,  by  the  Holy  Ghost  dwelling 
in  it.  And  that  unless  we  admit  an  infallible  Church  we  have  no 
certainty  of  the  truth  of  either  oral  tradition  or  Scripture  itself,  since 
even  Scripture  itself  rests,  for  the  only  proof  of  its  inspiration,  on 
the  tradition  and  infallibility  of  the  Church  as  late  as  the  fourth 
century. — IV.  Lockliart. 

IV e  give  thanks  to  God  zvithout  ceasing:  because  that  zuhen  you 
had  received  of  us  the  word  of  the  hearing  of  God,  yoti  received  it 
not  as  the  word  of  men,  but  (as  it  is  indeed)  the  Word  of  God,  Who 
worketh  in  you  that  have  beUcved. — I  Thcss.  II,  13. 

The  things  which  thou  hast  heard  of  Me  by  many  witnesses,  the 
same  commend  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  he  fit  to  teach  others  also. 

—U   Tim.  n,  2. 

Brethren,  stand  fast:  and  hold  the  traditions  which  you  have 
learned,  whether  by  word  or  by  our  Epistle. — II  Thess.  II,  14. 

"What  is  there  in  common  between  the  Scripture  and  your  fabu- 
lous Tradition?"  said  a  Protestant  one  day  to  a  priest.  "Hand  me 
a  Bible,"  said  the  latter.  The  Protestant  gave  him  the  volume,  which 
the  priest  opened  and  examined,  and  then  laid  down,  saying  with 
feigned  indignation:  "I  asked  you  for  a  Bible,  sir,  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, not  this  book  of  fables  you  offer  me."  "The  book  I  gave  you," 
said  the  Protestant,  greatl}'  scandalized,  "is  the  grand  Book  of  Books, 
containing  the  old  and  the  new  covenant  of  God  with  men."  "And 
how  do  you  know  that  this  book  is  the  Divine  work  of  which  you 
fpcak,  and  not  a  book  of  fables  invented  somewhere  or  other  in  the 
olden  days?"  "How  do  I  know  it?  Why,  by  the  infallible  testimony 
of  our  forefathers  who  from  age  to  age  have  transmitted  this  book 
to  us  as  the  Word  of  God."  "Ah,  you  admit,  then,  an  infallible  tradi- 
tion, you  who  protest  against  Tradition  !" — Guillois. 

Let  me  remind  our  friends  of  a  familiar  example,  the  substitution 
of  Sunday  for  the  Sabbath.  We  Christians  work  on  Saturday,  the 
seventh  day,  against  the  Commandment  which  says,  on  the  seventh 
day  thou  shall  do  no  zvork,  and  we  keep  holy,  though  in  a  less  strict 
manner  than  the  Jews,  the  first  day  of  the  week,  namely  Sunday; 
yet  there  is  not  a  text  in  Scripture  which  commands  the  change  or 
authorizes  breaking  the  old  seventh  day  obligation. 

There  are  passages  in  the  Acts,  for  instance,  which  show  that  the 


118    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

early  Christians  met  together  for  worship  on  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
But  that  dees  not  prove  that  they  did  not  observe  the  seventh  day 
as  well.  In  fact,  it  is  certain  that  they  did  so,  for  we  find  the  Apostles, 
no  less  than  Our  Lord  Himself,  observing  the  Mosaic  law,  and  even 
offering  sacrifices  in  the  Temple  (Acts  xxi.)  in  order  not  to  give 
cause  of  scandal  to  the  Jews,  so  we  may  safely  infer  that  they  would 
not,  at  that  time,  have  authorised  the  breach  of  the  Mosaic  Sabbath. 
The  change  took  place  only  gradually,  as  the  Gentile  converts  in- 
creased and  the  Jewish  converts  became  stronger  in  the  faith.  But, 
for  the  authority  which  made  the  change  we  must  refer  to  the  Church, 
infallible  in  teaching  and  with  authority  to  dispense  from  the  law 
which  had  been  given  from  Mount  Sinai  to  Moses,  and  to  declare 
where  it  was  of  perpetual  obligation,  as  in  this  instance,  so  far  as 
regards  the  obligation  of  keeping  holy  one  day,  in  seven,  and  where 
the  obligation  has  ceased,  namely  as  to  the  particular  day  of  weekly 
observance,  and  special  mode  of  sanctifying  it. 

Infant  baptism,  again,  rests  on  tradition,  for  there  is  not  a  text 
of  Scripture  commanding  it,  or  a  single  instance  in  Scripture  record- 
ing the  baptism  of  infants. — W.  Lockhart. 


THE  BIBLE 

THE  BIBLE  NOT  OUB  ONLY  GUIDB 

St.  Peter  warned  us  long  ago  against  the  Protestant  principle  of 
the  Bible  being  our  only  and  all-sufficient  guide.  Speaking  primarily 
of  St.  Paul's  writings  he  says,  "In  the  which  are  many  things  hard  to 
be  understood  which  the  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  as  they  do  also 
the  other  Scriptures  to  their  own  destruction."  This  text  alone 
suflfices  to  show  that  the  Scriptures  are  not  by  themselves  a  safe  or 
sufficient  guide.  What  other  guide  is  there?  St.  Paul  has  already 
told  us  it  is  "the  Church  of  the  Living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth,"  I  ask  again,  have  you  any  other  meaning  to  give  to 
the  words? — W.  Lockhart. 

THE  BIBLE  NOT  INTENDED  TO  BE  OUR  ONLY   GUIDE 

Catholics  do  not  believe  that  the  Bible  was  intended  by  Christ  to 
be  our  only  guide,  and  hence  we  cannot  deem  it,  by  itself,  a  sufficient 
guide.  For,  in  the  first  place,  if  this  principle  was  established  by 
Christ  our  Lord,  it  must  have  been  equally  true  in  the  beginning 
as  at  the  present  day.  But  it  is  an  historical  fact  that  during  all  the 
fifteen  centuries  between  the  time  of  Christ  and  the  invention  of 
printing,  this  rule  was  incapable  of  application,  and  therefore  practi- 
cally a  dead  letter.  The  Bible  could  not  be  the  practical  guide  for  the 
many,  when  it  was  only  in  the  hands  of  the  few.  When  all  books 
had  to  be  copied  by  hand,  there  could  have  been  no  cheap  books,  and 
therefore  none  but  public  institutions,  nobles,  princes,  and  rich  men, 
could  have  had  copies  of  the  Bible,  since  it  is  calculated  that  a  com- 
plete copy  of  the  Scriptures,  written  in  the  plainest  manner,  could 
not  have  cost  much  less  than  sixty  pounds  in  English  money.  But  not 
only  were  there  no  Bibles  for  the  people,  but  there  were  no  people 
to  read  Bibles ;   for  when  hooks  were  scarce,  there  were   few  who 


THE  BIBLE  liy 

would  undergo  the  task  of  learning;  to  read,  since  they  knew  before- 
hand that  they  would  seldom  have  the  fortune  of  meeting  with  a  book. 

—W.  Lockhart. 

THE  BIBLE  A  MIRROB 

The  holy  Bible  is  a  mirror.  It  reflects  the  goodness  and  greatness 
of  the  hidden  God.  It  reflects,  as  no  other  book  can,  the  secrets  of 
the  human  heart. — C.  M.  Thucnie,  O.  P. 

All  Scripture,  inspired  of  God.  is  profitable  to  teach,  to  reprove, 
to  correct,  to  instruct  in  justice. — Tluit  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect 
furnished  to  every  good  work. — II   Tim.  Ill,   16-17. 

THE  BIBLE  AND  TRADITION 

For  if  "the  Bible  and  the  Bible  only"  were  a  sufficient  guide  in 
religion  then  there  can  be  nothing  important  in  religion,  which  can- 
not be  proved  on  that  principle.  But  there  are  many  things  which 
you  consider  important  in  religion,  but  which  you  cannot  prove  from 
the  Scriptures  only;  therefore  "the  Bible  and  the  Bible  only"  is  not 
a  sufficient  guide.  If  either  of  my  premises  is  doubted,  I  would 
invite  you  who  have  all  along  taken  for  granted  that  this  principle 
is  sound,  to  test  it  on  its  own  merits,  and  to  prove,  if  you  can,  by 
plain  texts  of  Scripture,  the  following  points: — 

I. — The  obligation  of  the  Christian  Sabbath: — First — The  Divine 
Command  in  Scripture  to  keep  holy  the  first  day  of  week,  namely, 
Sunday  instead  of  the  seventh  day,  which  is  Saturday,  and  which  is 
still  kept  by  the  Jews,  who  follow  the  command  given  by  God  through 
Moses.  Secondly — The  Divine  permission  in  Scripture  to  work  on 
Saturday,  the  old  seventh  day;  whereof  it  is  said,  "The  seventh  day 
is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord,  in  it  thou  shalt  do  not  work,  &c."  (Exod. 
XX.)  Thirdly — Proof  from  Scripture  that  we  are  not  bound  to  keep 
lioly  the  seventh  day  also. 

II. — The  necessity  of  infant  baptism ;  or  a  single  instance  of  it 
recorded  in  Scripture;  or  any  command  or  permission  to  confer  it. 

III. — The  lawfulness  of  eating  fowl  that  has  been  strangled  and 
meat  killed  with  the  blood  in  it,  which  the  Jews  never  do,  and  which 
is  a  part  of  the  Mosaic  law,  re-imposed  on  Christians  by  the  Apostles 
— see  Acts,  xv,  29. 

IV. — Proof  from  Scripture  only  of  the  Canon  and  Inspiration 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  rule  by  which  to  discover  by  internal 
evidence  the  inspiration  of  writing;  as  for  instance  of  Ecclesiastes 
and  Solomon's  Song  (otherwise  called  the  Canticles),  which  Protest- 
ants admit  to  be  inspired,  as  distinguished  from  Ecclesiasticus  and  the 
Wisdom  of  Solomon  which  they  rank  amongst  the  Apocryphal  books. 

—W.  Lockhart. 

An  Indian  Rajah,  of  vast  possessions,  one  of  England's  subject 
Princes,  dies,  after  having  disposed  of  his  treasures  and  his  territories 
amongst  the  different  members  of  his  family.  It  comes  to  pass  that 
after  some  years,  disputes  arise  amongst  the  legatees.  After  passing 
through  the  Law  Courts  in  India,  the  case  comes  to  be  heard  in  a 
Court  of  Appeal  in  the  old  country.  The  whole  matter  turns  on  the 
interpretation  of  some  clauses  in  the  will,  that  is  to  say,  as  to  what 


120    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

was  the  actual  meaning  of  the  testator.  Now,  on  what  principle 
would  the  matter  be  decided?  Recourse,  would  naturally  be  had  to 
adepts  in  the  languages,  and  customs  of  India.  The  exact  meaning 
of  the  words  would  be  investigated.  But  the  matter  would  not  be 
decided  on  these  grounds.  For  the  question  is  not  as  to  what  the 
words  might,  with  more  or  less  propriety,  express  (for  words  are 
generally  capable  of  more  than  one  meaning),  but  what  was  the  actual 
meaning  of  the  testator.  What  he  meant  to  convey,  and  was  under- 
stood to  express,  at  the  time  and  on  the  spot  where  he  made  his  will. 
What  then  would  be  the  action  of  the  Court?  The  whole  case  would 
be  suspended  until  persons  could  be  sent  out  to  India  to  take  deposi- 
tions on  the  spot,  if  possible,  of  the  lawyer  who  made  the  will,  and 
other  disinterested  persons,  who  were  in  the  confidence  of  the  testator, 
and  could  depose  as  to  his  intention  in  so  wording  his  will.  On  these 
grounds  the  legal  authorities  on  the  spot  would  have  given  original 
possessions  to  the  legatees,  and  these  must  be  the  basis  of  all  future 
legal  decisions.  In  short,  the  testimony  of  trustworthy  eye-witnesses 
and  contemporaries  who  knew  the  mind  of  the  testator  would  be 
taken  as  conclusive,  and  as  settling  beyond  doubt  or  cavil  the  real 
meaning  of  the  will.  Such  witnesses  would  be  accepted  as  the  only 
really  unexceptionable  umpires,  and  the  Courts  of  law  would  only 
endorse  their  testimony  and  give  it  the  authority  of  law. 

The  application  is  obvious.  The  inspired  writers  guided  by  the 
mind  of  our  Lord  are  the  authors  of  the  will  or  testament,  and  stand 
in  the  position  of  the  testator.  The  disciples  of  the  Apostles,  Ignatius, 
Clement,  Polycarp,  and  their  contemporaries,  and  scholars,  Justin  and 
Irenaeus,  are  the  witnesses  whose  testimony  would  certainly  be 
deemed  conclusive,  if  they  lived  in  our  day,  and  were  subpoenaed  be- 
fore the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  in  any  question  which 
turned  on  evidence  as  to  the  intention  of  the  Testator. — IV.  Lockhart. 

THE  CHURCH  THE  GUAKDIAN  OF  THE  BIBLE 

The  Westminster  version  is  hailed  (by  the  Phila.  Public  Ledger, 
Sejt,  7,  1913),  as  "the  most  important  Roman  Catholic  work 
produced  in  England  since  the  Reformation " ;  the  work  of  the 
Biblical  Commission  under  Abbot  Gasquet  is  called  "the  only  serious 
attempt  to  revise  the  Bible  since  the  third  century," 

The  New  York  Times,  September  14,  1913,  concludes  a  half-page 
article  on  this  work  with  the  statement  that  "the  revision  of  the 
Vulgate  could  be  intrusted  to  no  sounder  scholar,  to  no  more  skillful 
director  of  men"  than  to  Abbot  Gasquet;  and  the  work  he  is  directing 
is  called  by  this  paper  "the  greatest  literary  undertaking  of  the 
century,"  In  regard  to  "higher  criticism,"  the  A^ccc;  York  Sun  says 
that  "as  it  is  now,  the  Pope  is  the  sole  bold,  positive  and  uncom- 
promising champion  of  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God."  Anri  Dr. 
Lorimer  (Non-Cath.)  says  the  same:  "Only  the  Pope,  only  the  Church 
of  Rome,  comes  to  the  front  as  the  champion  of  the  Bible  against  the 
destructive  critics." 

HfTEKPRETATION   OF  THE  BIBLE 

The  entire  laws  of  a  state  are  contained  in  a  few  volumes,  whereas 
there  arc  thousands  of  volumes  of  commentaries  on  the  meaning  of 


THE  BIBLE  121 

these  laws.  Yet,  when  the  laws  were  made,  their  wording  was 
most  scrupulously  composed  to  make  the  meaning  clear.  Is  the 
meaning  of  the  Bible  less  subject  to  misinterpretation,  less  important 
than  the  laws  of  a  state.  Of  a  man  who  attempts  his  own  interpreta- 
tion of  the  laws,  and  to  be  his  own  lawyer,  it  is  said  that  he  has 
a  fool  for  his  client. 

AN  AUTHORITY  NEEDED  FOR  INTERPRETATION 

"Just  so,  Judge,"  said  the  father.  '"Now  let  me  ask  3'ou  a 
somewhat  personal  question.  You  are  a  United  States'  judge:  what 
are  you  judges  wanted  for?"  "Why,"  he  replied,  "to  interpret  the 
laws,  and  give  sentence  when  they  are  broken."  "But,"  said  the 
father,  "have  not  American  citizens  the  legal  code  of  the  United 
States  to  go  by?"  "Certainly,"  he  answered,  "but  no  code  can 
interpret  itself,  and  no  man  is  a  safe  interpreter  in  his  own  case, 
each  would  be  likely  to  discover  an  interpretation  favourable  to  his 
own  opinion  of  what  the  law  ought  to  be,  and  the  diverse  interpreta- 
tions of  the  law  would  be  without  end." — W.  Lockliart. 

PRIVATE  JUDGMENT 

There  are  people  who  act  toward  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  He  established  to  carry  on  His  work  and  teaching,  to 
represent  Him,  to  manifest  Him  to  the  world  by  the  action  of  His 
Holy  Spirit  dwelling  within  her,  there  are  people,  I  say,  who  act 
toward  God's  Church  precisely  in  the  manner  in  which  the  Jews 
acted  toward  Jesus  Christ.  There  are  people  who,  though,  like  the 
Jews,  they  profess  an  ardent  belief  in  and  devotion  to  the  Redeemer 
of  Mankind,  and  to  the  interests  of  His  Kingdom  upon  earth,  yet 
have  made  up  their  minds  for  themselves,  by  private  judgment,  what 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  ought  to  be. — H.  G.  Hughes. 


MYSTERIES;  MIRACLES 

THE  MYSTERIES  OF  RELIGION— OUK  TREE  OF  KNOWLEDGE 

The  doctrines  and  mysteries  of  religion  are  our  tree  of  knowledge, 
not  to  be  tasted  or  investigated  thoroughly  by  us.  These  we  accept 
on  the  suflficient  witness  of  the  Church  that  they  are  the  revelation 
of  God ;  we  know  that  He  has  bidden  us  believe  them,  but  we  do 
not  know  the  intrinsic  reasons  of  these  mysteries.  They  must  not 
be  treated  by  us  as  ordinary  objects  of  curiosity;  they  must  be 
approached  with  reverent  meditation,  with  prayer  for  sufficient  under- 
standing and  faith  to  accept  them.  Free  criticism,  comparison  with 
our  own  private  standards  of  taste  and  fitness,  the  demand  for  such 
kind  of  proofs  as  we  choose  to  yield  to,  hesitation  as  to  whether 
we  shall  accept  it  or  reconsider  our  opinion ;  these  are  the  methods 
to  be  followed  with  the  objects  of  human  science.  These  things  God 
has  delivered  to  us  for  discovery,  examination,  discussion;  about 
these  He  has  made  no  revelation ;  we  have  absolute  freedom  in 
accepting  or  rejecting.  These  are  all  the  other  trees  of  the  garden 
which  God  has  left  us  to  use  as  we  wish. 


122    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Adam's  revolt  against  the  reservation  from  him  of  the  tree 
of  knowledge  lias  survived  in  his  progeny,  who  have  a  rebellious 
tendency  against  anything  that  limits  their  knowledge.  They  feel 
humiliated  by  this  yoke ;  they  would  master  all  knowledge,  investigate 
all  secrets,  even  those  which  are  unlawful. — Bishop  Bellord. 

OBSCURITY  IX  RELIGION 

Obscurity  in  religion  is  also  an  evident  requirement  from  the 
point  of  view  of  ourselves.  The  fact  that  faith  is  a  supreme  homage 
to  God  demands  that  there  be  a  sacrifice  of  self  in  it;  the  fact  that 
it  is  a  virtue  requires  that  there  be  an  exertion  in  practicing  it; 
the  fact  that  it  is  highly  meritorious  demands  that  there  be  freedom 
in  choosing  or  rejectmg  it.  If  religious  doctrines  were  as  evident 
as  the  multiplication  table,  they  would  simply  force  our  assent,  there 
would  be  no  alternative  of  rejection  possible,  our  assent  would  not 
be  free. — Bishop  Bellord. 

OUB  INABIUTY  TO  GRASP  ALL  RELIGIOUS  TRUTHS 

How  can  any  one  expect  that  man  should  be  able  to  grasp  all 
religious  truth  ?  Human  faculty  can  not  grasp  the  whole  of  anything, 
even  of  those  things  which  lie  within  its  own  range.  No  man,  though 
he  had  the  most  receptive  mind,  though  he  were  to  live  ten  thousand 
years,  would  be  able  to  take  in  even  the  products  of  other  men's 
minds.  No  one  claims  to  distinguish  an  object  ten  miles  off  as 
clearly  as  one  that  is  before  the  eyes;  yet  some  expect  that  they 
should  be  able  to  master  the  remotest  secrets  of  the  Divinity,  as  they 
would  a  piece  of  present  mechanism. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  BELIEF   IN   WHAT  WE   CANNOT   SEE   OB   UNDERSTAND 

There  was  once  a  Princess  who  had  been  taught  in  her  childhood 
the  truths  of  Faith  in  her  Catechism.  But  when  she  grew  up  she 
gradually  lost  her  Faith ;  and  like  other  unbelievers,  she  used  to  say 
she  would  not  believe  anything  she  did  not  see  or  understand.  One 
night  she  had  a  dream.  She  dreamed  that  she  was  walking  through 
a  great  forest.  She  was  alone.  In  the  forest  she  saw  a  cottage, 
and  at  the  door  of  the  cottage  there  was  a  blind  man  sitting.  She 
drew  near  to  him  and  said,  "  My  good  man,  I  see  you  are  blind ; 
tell  me,  were  you  always  blind,  or  is  your  blindness  the  result  of  an 
accident?"  "My  lady,"  he  replied,  "I  was  born  blind."  "Oh,  how 
sad  must  be  your  lot!"  replied  the  Princess.  "You  have  never  seen 
the  beautiful  sun,  and  you  do  not  know  what  light  is."  "No,"  he 
answered,  "I  have  never  seen  the  sun,  and  I  have  not  the  slightest 
idea  what  it  is  like,  but  I  firmly  believe  that  it  must  be  something 
very  beautiful." 

The  blind  man  then  changing  the  tone  of  his  voice,  and  assuming 
a  serious  manner,  continued,  "You  say  you  will  not  believe  things  which 
you  do  not  see,  or  do  not  understand.  Learn,  then,  from,  my  example 
that  there  are  many  things  which  you  cannot  understand,  but  which 
are  really  true,  as  true  as  the  things  which  you  can  understand  and 
see"  The  Princess  awoke,  but  the  dream  gave  her  a  profitable 
lesson. 


MIRACLES  12S 

WHAT  IS  A  BIIRACLE? 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas  says  that  a  miracle  is  "A  sensible  effect, 
produced  by  God,  which  transcends  all  the  forces  of  nature." 

Now  an  event  may  transcend  the  forces  of  nature  in  three 
different  ways.  Firstly,  it  may  involve  an  act  which  no  power  in 
nature  can  ever  produce  under  any  circumstances  or  conditions 
whatever.  Such  a  miracle  takes  place  wIxmi  the  same  body  i-;  made 
to  occupy  two  dift'erent  places  at  the  same  time :  this  we  find  in  the 
bilocation  of  some  of  the  Saints. 

Secondly,  it  may  involve  an  act  which  nature  may  indeed  produce, 
but  not  under  the  same  circumstances,  as  for  instance  the  flowering 
of  a  dry  and  dead  branch  in  the  depth  of  winter.  Nature  can  produce 
blossoms  and  flowers  on  a  branch,  but  not  under  such  circumstances. 

Thirdly,  it  may  involve  an  act  which  nature  may  indeed  produce 
but  not  in  the  same  manner.  If,  for  example,  a  man  have  his  legs 
broken,  nature  may  knit  together  the  shattered  bones  and  heal  the 
wounds  by  a  slow  and  gradual  process.  But  a  sudden  and  instan- 
taneous and  complete  cure  could  not  be  ascribed  to  unassisted  nature, 
but  would  partake  of  the  character  of  a  miracle. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

MIRACLES 

The  Divine  immutability  is  in  no  way  compromised  by  a  miracle 
since  a  miracle  argues  no  change  in  the  decrees  of  God.  St. 
Augustine  expresses  the  whole  doctrine,  with  his  usual  accuracy  and 
precision,  in  a  single  sentence :  "Deus  opera  mutat,  non  consilium,." 
God  produces  a  change  in  external  things,  but  there  is  no  change 
in  His  own  mind.  Both  the  laws  and  the  exceptions  to  those  laws 
fall  under  the  same  Divine  Providence.  He  does  not  first  establish 
a  law  and  then  suspend  it  when  some  special  and  unforseen  circum- 
stance arises.  There  is  no  future  in  God's  knowledge,  and  nothing 
unforeseen.  Every  circumstance  which  to  us  is  future,  is  seen  by 
Him,  as  actually  present.  His  plans  are  laid  from  the  beginning, 
with  the  full  and  present  consciousness  of  every  prayer  that  will 
ever  be  addressed  to  Him,  and  of  every  circumstance  that  would 
make  a  miracle  useful  or  desirable.  The  interruption  of  a  law,  or 
the  suspension  of  a  decree,  on  account  of  exceptional  circumstances, 
such  as  the  need  of  manifesting  His  power,  or  the  testifying  to  the 
truth  of  some  doctrine,  is  all  provided  for  and  arranged  from  eternity, 
and  denotes  no  shadow  of  mutability  in  the  mind  of  the  Supreme 
Ruler  of  the  Universe.  To  deny  this  argues  confusion  in  the  mind 
of  the  objector. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

Consider  how  man  himself  can  suspend  or  reverse  the  action  of 
the  laws  of  nature.  Take  the  law  of  gravitation.  Is  it  wholly 
inamenable  to  our  will  ?  An  example  will  show.  Here  is  a  heavy 
stone  resting  on  the  ground.  The  weight  of  gravity  tends  to  keep 
it  fastened  and  riveted  to  the  earth.  But  I  stretch  down  and, 
seizing  hold  of  the  stone,  I  lift  it  up  over  my  head,  a  distance  of 
six  feet.  What  has  happened  ?  I  have  not  indeed  destroyed  the 
attraction  of  gravity.  No.  But  I  .have,  in  this  particular  case,  and 
80  far  as  the  stone  is  concerned,  rendered  it  inoperative.     Indeed, 


124    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

I  have  so  utterly  counteracted  its  effect  that  the  stone,  instead  of 
following  the  line  of  gravity,  and  falling  from  A  to  B,  rises  in 
opposition  to  gravity's  force  and  describes  a  path  from  B  to  A. 
Have  I,  in  consequence,  thrown  the  whole  machinery  of  the  universe 
out  of  gear?  Have  I,  even  in  an  infinitesimal  degree,  tended  to 
produce  confusion  ?     Evidently  not. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

Protestants  are  ready  enough  to  admit  that  Christ  can  and  did 
work  miracles.  Some  will  go  so  far  even  as  to  admit  that  the  more 
favoured  of  His  followers  may  be  made  mediums  of  graces  and 
favours.  But  they  draw  the  Ihie  at  inanimate  objects.  They  cannot 
persuade  themselves  that  the  water  of  Lourdes,  for  example,  can  be, 
under  any  circumstances,  one  whit  better  than  the  water  of  the 
Loire  or  the  Lift'y,  though  the  Scripture  itself  shows  us  how  the 
waters  of  one  place  may  be  better  than  the  waters  of  another,  since 
Naaman  was  cured  of  leprosy  by  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,  though 
no  river  in  Damascus  could  do  him  any  good.  (IV.  Kings.)  Nor 
can  they  imagine  that  the  dead  bones  of  one  man  can  possess  any 
more  virtue  than  those  of  another,  though  here  again  it  is  the 
Scripture  itself  that  informs  us  that  the  bones  of  Elizeus  wrought 
miracles  not  accorded  to  the  bones  of  ordinary  men. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

THE  CHURCH 

THE  CHURCH,  THE  VOICE  OF  GOD 

It  is  perfectly  true  that  the  Church  does  not  allow  her  children 
to  entertain  any  doubt  of  her  teaching;  and  that,  first  of  all,  simply 
for  this  reason  because  they  are  Catholics  only  while  they  have  Faith, 
and  Faith  is  incompatible  with  doubt.  No  one  can  be  a  Catholic 
without  a  simple  Faith,  that  what  the  Church  declares  in  God's  name, 
is  God's  word,  and  therefore  true.  A  man  must  simply  believe 
that  the  Church  is  the  oracle  of  God;  he  must  be  as  certain  of  her 
mission,  as  he  is  of  the  mission  of  the  Apostles. — Cardinal  Newman. 

THE  CHURCH,  THE  APPOINTED  TEACHER 

A  party  of  travelers  were  standing  on  a  lofty  hill  in  the  Aus- 
tralian Bush,  where  they  have  lost  their  way.  Out-wearied  and 
sinking,  their  provisions  long  exhausted,  they  are  looking  out  with 
intense  anxiety  for  some  signs  of  human  habitation,  towards  which 
they  might  direct  their  steps.  Far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  extend  the 
boundless  plains,  which  seem  as  if  they  had  never  been  trodden  by 
foot  of  man.  At  last  they  all  descry,  in  the  far  distance,  a  dark 
object,  standing  or  moving,  they  cannot  decide.  "Ha!"  exclaims  one, 
"there  is  surely  a  man,  far  away  in  the  midst  of  the  plain."  "Man  !" 
says  another,  "I  can  see  nothing  but  the  stump  of  a  tree."  "No," 
says  a  third,  "it  moves  and  now  I  am  confident  it  is  a  horse."  Now 
all  these  three  m.en  have  one,  and  the  same  object  before  their  eyes, 
and  yet  they  each  understand  it  differently.  Who  shall  decide 
between  them?  Clearly,  tlicy  might  argue  through  the  long  summer 
day,  till  night  came  on  ;ind  took  the  object  itself  from  their  view. 


THE  CHURCH  125 

What  is  it  they  need  to  end  their  doubts  and  bring  them  to  one 
way  of  thinking?  Surely  what  they  want  is  a  witness,  who  is  in  a 
position  to  speak  with  conclusive  authority  and  declare  the  truth. 
If  now  while  they  are  disputing,  one  of  their  pariy  who  had  long 
strayed  from  the  rest,  came  up,  having  in  his  possession  a  telescope, 
he  would  be  an  umpire  who  could  decide.  He  would  examine  the 
distant  object  with  his  glass  and  turning  to  the  rest  perhaps  would 
say:  "You  are  all  more  or  less  wrong;  it  is  a  mounted  shepherd, 
riding  in  our  direction.  We  cannot  then  be  far  from  some  settlement. 
Our  lives  are  saved."  The  parable  needs  only  to  be  applied.  The 
travelers  seeking  their  way,  are  men  seeking  the  true  religion,  and 
the  way  to  Heaven.  The  object  before  them  is  the  text  of  Holy 
Scripture,  as  to  the  meaning  of  which  they  differ,  and  may  differ 
to  the  end,  unless  an  umpire  can  be  found  who  is  in  a  position  to 
say  who  is  right  and  who  is  wrong. 

And  now,  who  is  this  conclusive  witness  and  umpire?  Let  me  say 
at  once  that  to  the  Catholic  this  umpire  and  witness  is  that  Divinely 
appointed  Teacher  "the  Church  of  the  Living  God  which  is  the 
pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth. " — W.  Lockhart. 

There  will  arise  up  false  prophets,  and  they  shall  show  signs  and 
wonders,  to  seduce  (if  it  were  possible)  even  the  elect. — Take  you 
heed  therefore;  Behold  I  have  foretold  you  all  things. 

— Mark  XHI,  22-23. 

Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  Thy  Name,  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me: 
that  they  may  be  one,  as  We  also  are. — That  they  all  may  be  one,  as 
Thou,  Father,  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee:  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  Us: 
that  the  zvorld  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me. — And  the  glory 
which  Thou  hast  given  Me,  I  have  given  to  them:  that  they  may  be 
one,  as  We  also  are  One. — John  XVH,  11,  21-22. 

But  all  these  things  One  and  the  same  Spirit  zvorketh,  dividing  to 
every  one  according  as  He  zvill. — For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath 
many  members;  and  all  the  members  of  the  body,  zvhereas  they  are 
many,  yet  are  one  body,  so  also  is  Christ. — For  in  One  Spirit  were  we 
all  baptised  in  One  Body,  zvhether  Jezvs,  or  Gentiles,  zvhether  bond, 
or  free:  and  in  One  Spirit  we  have  all  been  made  to  drink. 

L  Cor.  XH,  11-13. 

As  in  one  body  we  have  many  members,  but  all  the  members  have 
not  the  same  office: — So  zve  being  many,  are  One  Body  in  Christ,  and 
every  one  members  one  of  another. — And  having  different  gifts,  ac- 
cording to  the  grace  that  is  given  us,  either  Prophecy,  to  be  used 
according  to  the  ride  of  Faith; — Or  Ministry,  in  ministering: 
or  he  that  teacheth,  in  doctrine, — He  that  exhorteth  in  exhorting,  he 
that  giveth  with  simplicity,  he  that  rnleth  zuith  carefulness,  he  that 
showeth  mercy  with  cheerfulness. — Rom.  XH,  4-8. 

You  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  kingly  priesthood,  a  holy  nation, 
a  purchased  people:  that  you  may  declare  His  virtues,  who  hath 
called  you  out  of  darkness  into  His  marvellous  light. — VVho  in  time 


126    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

past  were  not  a  people:  but  are  now  the  people  of  God.     Who  had 
not  obtained  mercy:  but  now  have  obtained  mercy. — I.  Peter  II,  9-10. 

This  is  My  Covenant  with  thetn,  saith  the  Lord:  My  Spirit  that  is 
in  thee,  and  My  zvords  that  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart 
out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the 
mouth  of  thy  seed's  ^ecd,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  for 
ever. — Is.  LIX,  21. 

THE  NAMES   OF  THE   CHUKCH 

Many  names  which  are  replete  with  mysteries,  have  been  applied 
to  designate  the  Christian  commonwealth.  Thus,  by  the  Apostle  it  is 
called  "the  house  and  edifice  of  God."  "If"  says  he  to  Timothy, 
"I  tarry  long,  that  thou  mayest  know  how  thou  oughtest  to  behave 
thyself  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the  Church  of  the  living  God, 
the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth"  (i  Tim.  iii,  15).  But  the  Church 
is  called  a  house,  because  it  is  as  it  were,  one  family  governed  by 
one  master  of  the  family,  and  enjoying  a  community  of  all  spiritual 
goods.  It  is  also  called  the  flock  of  the  sheep  of  Christ,  of  which  He 
is  "the  door  and  the  shepherd"  (John,  x,  7;  Ezech.  xxxiv,  5).  It 
is  called  the  spouse  of  Christ:  "I  have  espoused  you  to  one  husband," 
says  the  Apostle  to  the  Corinthians,  "that  I  may  present  you  as  a 
chaste  virgin  to  Christ"  (2  Cor.  xi,  2)  ;  and  to  the  Ephesians:  "Hus- 
bands, love  your  wives,  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church"  (Eph.  v, 
25)  ;  and  of  marriages:  "This  is  a  great  Sacrament,  but  I  speak  in 
Christ  and  in  the  Church"  (Eph.  v,  32),  Finally,  the  Church  is 
called  the  body  of  Christ,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  epistles  to  the 
Ephesians  (Eph.  i,  23)  and  Colossians  (Coloss.  i,  24) — appellations, 
each  of  which  has  very  great  influence  in  exciting  the  faithful  to 
prove  themselves  worthy  the  boundless  clemency  and  goodness  of 
God,  who  hath  chosen  them  to  be  the  people  of  God. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE    CATHOLIC    CHUBCH,    AN    mSTOBICAL    INSTITUTION 

I  freely  admit  the  preeminence  of  Catholicism  as  an  historical 
institution;  here  she  is  without  a  rival  or  a  peer.  If  to  be  at  once 
the  most  permanent,  and  extensive,  the  most  plastic,  and  inflexible 
ecclesiastical  organization,  were  the  same  thing  as  the  most  perfect 
embodiment,  and  vehicle  of  religion,  then  the  claim  of  Catholicism 
were  simply  indisputable.  The  man  in  search  of  an  authoritative 
Church  may  not  hesitate,  once  let  him  assume  that  a  visible  and 
audible  authority  is  of  the  essence  of  religion,  and  he  has  no  choice; 
he  must  become,  or  get  himself  reckoned,  a  Catholic.  .  .  .  The 
Protestant  Churches  are  but  of  yesterday,  without  the  authority,  the 
truth,  or  the  ministries,  that  can  reconcile  man  to  God;  they  are  only 
a  multitude  of  warring  sects,  whose  confused  voices  but  protest  their 
own  sin  of  schism  by  the  way  it  sets  off  the  might,  the  majesty  and 
the  unity  of  Rome.  In  contrast  the  Catholic  Church  stands  where  her 
Master  placed  her  upon  a  rock,  endowed  with  the  prerogatives  and 
powers  He  gave  to  her,  and  against  her  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail. — Dr.  Fairbairn  (Non-Cath.). 


THE  CHURCH  13Y 

THE  CnrRCII,  THE  CONTRADICTION  OF  THE  WORLD 

But  it  can  never  be  too  much  insisted  on  that  the  Church  is  the 
direct  contradiction  of  the  world,  and  the  law  of  her  growth  and 
power  the  flat  denial  of  its  laws.  Her  whole  existence  is  a  para- 
dox. She  is  a  mighty  army  without  horse  or  foot  or  guns;  she 
wins  astounding  victories  by  defeat ;  she  thrives  where  by  all  natural 
laws  she  should  decline,  and  declines  where  men  might  promise 
her  prosperity.  She  carries  the  tidings  of  joy  and  the  message 
of  peace,  and  is  ever  in  conflict.  She  lives  apparently  in  perpetual 
danger  of  annihilation,  yet  survives  to  chant  her  requiem  masses 
over  the  empires  that  assailed  her.  She  nurtures  civilization  into 
being,  and  when  the  viper  brood  turns  upon  its  gray-haired  Mother, 
she  calmly  awaits  the  operation  of  God's  inexorable  laws,  which 
consign  such  civilizations  to  putrefaction  from  within  and  dismem- 
berment from  without ;  and  then,  with  her  Divine  patience,  she  sets 
about  raising  up  a  new  order  of  things  upon  the  ruins  of  the  old. 
When  one  country  spurns  her,  she  shakes  its  dust  off  her  feet,  and 
carries  her  rejected  blessings  to  another;  when  one  continent  falls 
away,  she  crosses  the  frontiers  of  the  next.  And  thus,  in  eternal 
ebb  and  flow,  she  passes  down  the  ages,  with  strong  sweep  of  mighty 
waters  moving  noiselessly,  because  their  channel  is  broad  and  deep, 
not  with  the  loud  brawling  of  mountain  streams,  bickering  down  their 
narrow,  broken  courses. — P.  J.  Gannon,  S.  J. 

THE  CHTRCH,  A  SOCIETY 

The  Church,  in  the  strict  and  ordinarily  accepted  sense,  is  a  visible 
society  of  men  professing  the  same  faith  and  governed  by  legitimately 
appointed  pastors  under  the  Roman  Pontiff.  The  end  for  which  this 
society  was  instituted  is  the  eternal  salvation  of  its  members. 

— F.  Harvey. 

God  does  not  deal  with  each  one  of  us  directly  in  the  sense 
that  He  communicates  to  the  individual  a  scheme  of  belief  and 
conduct.  When  Christ  came  upon  earth  He  did  not  try  to  visit 
every  country  or  to  speak  to  every  man  face  to  face.  The  efforts 
of  His  public  life  were  directed  to  the  training  and  confirmation  of 
the  Apostles  and  the  foundation  of  a  society  which  would  do  His 
work  when  He  had  ascended  to  the  Father.  The  Church,  therefore, 
responds  to  the  human  need  for  society.  We  are  all  commanded  to 
belong  to  it,  to  hear  its  voice,  and  to  obey.  It  is  the  means  by 
which  we  are  put  in  line  for  salvation.  We  have  indeed  our  own 
individual,  personal  work  to  do,  just  as  the  traveler  who  is  on  the 
right  road  must  himself  move  on  if  he  is  to  reach  his  destination. 
The  Church  is  the  road  and  besides  this  road  there  is  none  other 
by  which  men  may  reach  their  end. — P.  C.  York. 

THE  FITNESS  OF  THE  CHURCH 

It  is  incredible  that  God  should  maintain  in  existence  by  miracu- 
lous power  a  Church  which  He  had  destined  to  be  incapable  of  doing 
the  work  of  a  Church.  It  would  be  an  anomaly.  It  would  be  a  more 
extraordinary  miracle  than  the  gift  of  perpetual  life  to  the  Church  if 
God  withheld  from  it  the  gift  of  perpetual  fitness  for  all  times.     It 


128    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

would  be  giving  with  one  hand  and  taking  away  with  the  other,  to 
grant  life  without  that  which  enabled  the  life  to  accomplish  its  object. 
If  God  has  the  power  to  preserve  the  Church  in  continual  existence, 
He  can  as  easily  preserve  it  in  a  state  of  efficiency.  If  the  Church 
has  vitality  enough  to  resist  the  ravages  of  time  and  the  assaults  of 
the  world  and  Satan,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  it  has  vitality  enough 
to  keep  abreast  of  human  progress. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  ADAPTABILITY  OF  THE  CHURCH 

The  enemies  of  the  Church,  even  while  condemning  her,  wonder 
at  her  unexampled  adaptability  to  all  circumstances.  And  indeed 
there  is  no  such  marvelous  spectacle  on  earth.  Age  differs  from 
age,  country  from  country,  all  things  vary  according  to  time  and 
place.  The  conditions  that  helped  development  in  one  period  are 
unendurable  fetters  in  the  next.  Only  one  institution  goes  on  for 
ever,  itself  unchanged,  yet  adapting  itself  to  every  aspect  of  humanity. 
In  every  stage  and  society,  under  every  form  of  government,  from 
the  center  to  the  extremities  of  the  world,  there  is  one  great  figure 
that  seems  to  preside  over  the  destinies  of  men.  It  is  a  unique  fact 
in  history  that  the  Church  of  the  Catacombs  should  be  the  Church  of 
the  Middle  Ages  and  the  Church  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

—Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  CHURCH  NEVER  DISCOURAGED 

It  is  no  new  thing  then  with  the  Church,  in  a  time  of  confusion  or 
of  anxiety,  when  offenses  abound,  and  the  enemy  is  at  her  gates, 
that  her  children,  far  from  being  dismayed,  are  rather  glorying  in 
the  danger,  as  vigorous  men  exult  in  trials  of  their  strength — it  is  no 
new  thing,  I  say^  that  they  should  go  forth  to  do  her  work,  as  though 
she  were  in  the  most  palmy  days  of  her  prosperity.  Old  Rome,  in 
her  greatest  distress,  sent  her  legions  to  foreign  destinations  by  one 
gate  while  the  Carthaginian  conquerer  was  at  the  other.  In  truth, 
as  has  been  said  of  our  own  countrymen,  we,  Catholics,  do  not  know 
when  we  are  beaten ;  we  advance,  when  by  all  the  rules  of  war  we 
ought  to  fall  back;  we  dream  but  of  triumphs,  and  mistake  (as  the 
world  judges)  defeat  for  victory.  For  we  have  upon  us  the  omens 
of  success  in  the  recollections  of  the  past ;  we  read  upon  our  banners 
the  names  of  many  an  old  field  of  battle  and  of  glory ;  we  are  strong 
in  the  strength  of  our  fathers,  and  we  mean  to  do,  in  our  humble 
measure,  what  Saints  have  done  before  us.  It  is  nothing  great  or 
wonderful  in  us  to  be  thus  minded ;  only  Saints  indeed  do  exploits, 
and  carry  contests  through,  but  ordinary  men,  the  serving  men  and 
privates  of  the  Church,  are  equal  to  attempting  them. 

— Cardinal  Nczvman. 

THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OBVIOUS 

Again,  a  world-conquest  by  poor  and  ignorant  fishermen  would 
be  a  miracle  that  would  astound  the  minds  of  all  thinking  people. 
They  would  be  obliged  to  recognize  that  some  great  force  was  behind 
it  all,  and  since  the  work  was  the  spiritual  reformation  of  humanity 
this  force  must  of  necessity,  they  would  say,  be  Divine. — F.  Harvey. 

INFALLIBILITY   NECESSARY 

There  is  nothing  more  important  than  to  keep  truth  uncorrupted 


THE  CHURCH  129 

by  error.  The  result  of  admitting  a  few  even  slight  errors,  would 
soon  manifest  itself  on  a  large  scale.  Doctrines  would  come  to  be 
out  of  harmony  with  one  another,  they  would  not  stand  together  in 
mutual  support,  they  would  seem  contradictory,  some  would  be 
dropped,  and  religion,  instead  of  being  a  logical  whole,  would  become 
a  disjointed  mass  of  fragments  crumbling  to  destruction.  Great  ideas 
ultimately  express  themselves  in  the  actions  and  lives  of  men.  An 
error  may  seem  too  abstruse  to  be  grasped  by  the  multitude,  but  at 
last  it  will  have  its  effect  in  relaxing  faith  and  fervour  and  morality. 
Some  think  that  religious  doctrines  are  outside  the  sphere  of  practical 
life;  but  there  is  probably  not  a  single  doctrine  that  has  not  shared 
in  forming  the  character  of  Christians,  and  not  a  single  denial  of  any 
point  which  has  not  resulted  in  some  definite  soecies  of  irreligion  or 
immorality  in  the  general  character  of  worldly  men.  For  each  indivi- 
dual it  may,  in  a  limited  degree,  be  true,  that  lofty  purposes,  and 
strong  endeavour,  and  rectitude  of  life,  are  more  important  towards 
his  salvation  than  wide  and  accurate  theological  knowledge.  But  we 
do  not  live  as  unconnected  individuals,  we  form  a  society  which  has  a 
corporate  life,  and  continuity,  and  development,  and  in  which  true  and 
false  ideas  take  root  and  bear  fruit  in  good  and  evil  lives.  In  a 
society,  and  in  the  long  run,  the  ideas  that  there  are  germinating  are 
of  much  more  importance  than  any  individual  actions.  As  long  as 
religious  truth  remains  pure,  it  must  be  a  source  of  power  to  correct 
men's  actions  and  to  preserve  society.  Therefore,  God  protected  care- 
fully the  body  of  religious  doctrines  entrusted  to  the  Jews,  though 
they  themselves  were  most  corrupt.  So,  too,  has  God  made  the 
Catholic  Church  infallible  in  doctrine,  while  He  has  not  guaranteed 
any  member  of  it  against  sin. — Bishop  Bellord. 

OBJECTES'G  TO  AN  INFALLIBLE  CHURCH 

How  do  you  account  for  so  many  real  believers  in  the  Christian 
revelation  not  being  Catholics,  nay,  having  an  invincible  repugnance 
to  your  doctrine  of  an  infallible  Church? 

I  account  for  it  in  this  way.  Men  are  not  strictly  logical :  of 
course,  all  men  who  use  their  minds  go  on  logical  principles  to  a 
certain  extent.  They  must  give  what  seems  to  them  a  logical  answer 
to  the  questions  which  occur  to  their  minds,  but  many  questions  do 
not  occur  to  them  ;  they  are  content  without  going  to  the  bottom  of 
questions,  and  getting  to  the  last  or  fundamental  reason.  Thus  they 
may  be  fair  and  logical  as  far  as  they  go,  but  they  do  not  go  far 
enough  to  be  rigidly  logical,  and  exhaust  the  whole  matter  contained 
in  the  question.  Then  again,  when  I  say  that  they  give  to  themselves 
what  seems  to  them  a  true  and  sufficient  answer,  and  again,  that  they 
are  fair  and  logical  as  far  as  they  go,  I  imply  a  great  truth,  of  which 
every  one  must  be  conscious  who  analyses  the  acts  of  his  own  mind, 
especially  whenever  he  is  called  on  to  exercise  the  faculty  of  judg- 
ment on  any  matter  on  which  he  has  any  prepossession  or  interest. 
This  is,  that  besides  the  intellect  which  judges  the  question  on  which 
the  mind  is  fixed  there  is  another  factor  in  the  decision,  namely, 
the  human  will,  which  is  sure  to  pull  this  way  or  that,  often  under 
an  unconscious  or  secret  instinct  of  self-love,  which  has  the  fatal 
power  of  throwing  cross  lights,  or  false  lights,  as  it  were,  on  the 


130    ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

scene,  of  casting  in  a  weight,  or  tipping  the  scale  imperceptibly  in 
the  very  instant  when  the  mind  is  passing  judgment,  and  so  the 
result  is  that  we  perhaps  very  seldom  pass  a  perfectly  unbiassed  judg- 
ment, some  element  of  the  subjective  gets  mixed  in  the  scale,  and  thus, 
though  the  balance  is  itself  true  and  infallible,  the  weighing  is  not 
fair  and  true. — IV.  Lockhart. 

THE  INFALLIBLE  TEACWIXO  BODY 

If  a  revelation  was  necessary  for  man  because  of  his  ignorance 
and  infirmity  and  tendency  to  error,  it  was  equally  necessary,  that, 
revelation  having  been  given,  a  way  should  be  provided  ot  keeping 
that  revelation  undefiled  by  human  error  and  weakness  to  the  end. 
This  was  done  by  our  Lord  when  He  constituted  a  body  of  teachers, 
guarded  from  teaching  error  by  His  perpetual  presence  with  thern, 
and  with  the  power  of  handing  down  their  commission  to  their 
successors,  so  that  the  promise  of  our  Lord  would  rest  on  them  also 
as  it  had  rested  on  the  Apostles. — IV.  Lockhart. 

AN   AUTIIOKITY  NEEDED  FOR   Gl'IDANCE 

It  is  not  within  the  power  of  any  man  to  dispense  with  guidance. 
This  is  a  most  enlightened  age.  What  does  that  mean  for  the  bulk 
of  mankind?  That  they  are  more  independent  of  instruction  and 
guidance?  On  the  contrary.  It  means  that  there  are  more  masters 
and  guides  for  them  to  follow,  that  there  is  less  scope  for  the 
wanderings  of  their  imagination,  and  less  tolerance  for  their  errors. 
Even  the  most  skilful  of  men  shape  their  conduct  in  most  important 
matters  on  the  information  they  obtain  from  others;  they  will  not 
trust  their  own  foresight  without  taking  abundant  counsel.  Outside 
their  own  particular  sphere,  they  are  ready  to  submit  unreservedly 
to  a  competent  authority,  to  the  opinion  of  a  medical  man,  a  lawyer, 
an  engineer,  a  man  of  business.  And  even  in  his  own  sphere,  a 
man  knows  he  is  no  judge  in  his  own  case.  The  physician  will  call 
in  another  to  prescribe  for  him,  and  will  speak  as  respectfully  of  that 
other's  opinion  as  if  he  himself  were  quite  ignorant  of  medicine. 
An  eminent  lawyer  drew  up  his  own  will,  and  its  irregularity  and 
obscurity  made  it  the  subject  of  endless  litigation.  And  what  shall 
we  say  as  to  the  capacity  of  men  in  general  to  guide  themselves, 
ill-informed,  undisciplined,  prejudiced  as  they  are,  blinded  by  passion, 
unable  to  reason,  obstinate,  or  weakly  yielding  to  every  fallacy?  Of 
this  educated  generation  it  has  been  written,  that  none  but  the  very 
few  are  capable  of  forming  an  opinion  about  anything  that  is  not 
self-evident.  Almost  p.ll  men  are  slaves  to  the  ideas  and  fashions  of 
the  society  they  live  in.  Only  half  a  dozen  in  an  age  can  shake 
themselves  free  from  these  influences  and  make  full  use  of  that 
liberty   of   thought   that  everyone   boasts   of   possessing. 

—Bishop  Dcllord. 

SUBMISSION   TO    THE   CIILKCII 

Submission  to  the  Church  is  not,  as  many  insist,  an  oppression 
and  a  disgrace,  but  it  is  the  glory  and  the  happiness  of  her  children. 
They  are  enabled  to  render  to  God  the  homage  of  the  noblest  part 
of  their  nature,  by  bowing  their  intellect  to  the  obedience  of  faith; 
for   they   submit   themselves,   not   to  man,   but   to   God   Himself,   in 


THE  CHURCH  131 

recogfnizing  the  authority  which  He  has  delegated,  and  the  mes- 
sengers He  has  sent.  Their  submission  does  honour  to  tb.emselves, 
not  only  as  an  act  of  generous  sacrifice,  but  as  delivering  them  from 
the  servitude  of  error. — Bishop  Bellord. 

SUBMISSION  OF  THE  INTELLECT 

Take  an  illustration.  Thus :  God  enunciates  some  sublime  doc- 
trine, such  as  that  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  We  listen  with 
respectful  wonder  as  He  unfolds,  one  by  one,  the  marvels  contained 
in  that  dog^a.  We  try  in  vain  to  grapple  v/ith  them,  and  to  render 
them  clear.  But  we  fail  to  understand.  We  find  ourselves  face 
to  face  with  mystery.  Our  intellect  cannot  help  us.  We  must 
either  reject  the  doctrine  and  exclaim,  with  the  unbelieving  Jews: 
"How  can  this  man  give  his  flesh  to  eat  and  his  blood  to  drink?" 
Or  we  must  throw  ourselves  wholly  upon  the  veracity  of  God,  and 
abandon  ourselves  unreservedly  to  Him,  before  whom  the  greatest 
intellect  is  immeasurably  less  than  is  the  glow-worm's  spark  before 
the  noon-day  sun.  It  is  not  here  so  much  a  question  of  the 
submission  of  our  will  (though  our  will,  too,  has  a  share,  and  a 
very  important  share,  in  every  act  of  faith)  as  the  submission  of 
our  intellect. — Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

THE  CHUKCH  EMPOWERED  TO  MAKE  LAWS 

Now,  as  to  the  subject  matter  of  ecclesiastical  legislation,  and 
ihe  extent  to  which  it  can  go  in  prescribing  or  prohibiting — all  this 
is  to  be  determined  by  the  Church  herself,  who  is  the  supreme  judge 
of  all  such  questions,  since  to  her  alone  has  been  committed  the  charge 
of  the  entire  flock.  In  saying  so  much  we  must  guard  ourselves 
against  a  misapprehension.  We  do  not  mean  that  the  Church  can 
make  laws  and  impose  duties  arbitrarily,  as  though  it  rested  with 
her  to  fix  for  herself  what  she  fancies,  but  in  the  sense  that  she  is 
Divinely  invested  with  supreme  authority  from  above,  both  in  deciding 
questions  regarding  her  own  power,  and  in  framing  and  promulgating 
laws  under  the  influence  and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  has 
promised  to  abide  with  her  for  ever,  and  to  defend  her  from  all  error. 

The  reasonableness  of  this  claim  is  patent  to  all.  Why,  even  the 
state,  with  all  its  imperfections  and  with  no  special  promise  of 
protection  from  on  high,  asserts  its  right  to  exercise  this  prerogative, 
and  will  never  allow  its  own  competence  to  be  impugned.  The  legis- 
lature in  every  civilized  country  is  constantly  asserting  its  right  to 
pass  laws  and  to  impose  restrictions  which  it  considers  to  be  for  the 
benefit  and  well-being  of  the  country. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

THE   COM5IANDMENTS   OF   THE   CHIJRCH 

In  the  time  of  Louis  XVI.,  King  of  France,  an  old  oflRcer  who, 
though  a  child  of  the  Church,  was  not  too  scrupulous  in  obeying  her 
commands,  took  it  upon  himself  to  speak  to  his  master  with  regard 
to  the  abstinence  he  was  careful  to  practice  when  enjoined  by  the 
Church.  "My  lord,"  he  said,  "why  do  you  act  as  the  meanest  of  your 
siubjects  do  in  regard  to  this  matter?  Has  not  Our  Lord  in  the 
Scriptures  told  us  that  'that  which  enters  the  mouth  does  net  defile 
a  man'?"    "These  are  indeed  his  words,"  replied  the  monarch;  "but 


132    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

you  must  know  that  it  is  not  eating  the  flesh-meat  that  is  the  sin, 
for  one  may  at  other  times  partake  of  it  without  offending  God;  the 
evil  lies  in  the  fact  that  by  doing  so  one  rises  in  revolt  against 
legitimate  authority  by  violating  a  formal  command  of  the  Church. 
You,  who  seem  to  know  the  Gospel  so  well,  must  have  read  in  it 
these  words:  'He  who  heareth  not  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee 
as  a  heathen  or  a  publican.'  " 

THE  SOUL  OF  THE  CHURCH 

As  we  have  seen,  the  Church  in  this  broad  sense,  or  as  we  say, 
the  Soul  of  the  Church,  has  existed  from  the  beginning.  The  Soul 
of  the  Church  is  nothing  other  than  the  union  of  the  heart  and  will 
with  God.  Unlike  the  human  soul,  it  is  not  limited  to  the  external 
organization.  It  may  exist  in  the  midst  of  the  heresy  and  schism 
innocently  professed,  and  bind  to  the  Redeemer  hearts  that  have 
no  visible  union  with  the  body  of  the  Church.  Still  we  must 
remember  that  the  Church  of  Christ,  the  Catholic  Church,  is  "the 
Divinely  appointed  organization  for  saving  the  souls  of  men,"  and 
that  invincible  ignorance  and  good  faith  form  the  precarious  hope 
of  those  that  are  outside  that  society  founded  by  Christ. — F.  Harvey. 

THE  CHARITY  OF  THE  CHURCH 

Throughout  the  ages  the  Church  "showed  itself  in  good  works 
done  to  the  needy  amd  suffering;  the  tithes  and  offerings  and  income 
from  real  property  of  the  Catholic  Church  went  in  great  part  to  feed 
the  hungry,  to  clothe  the  naked,  to  lodge  and  feed  the  stranger,  to 
sustain  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and  to  heal  the  wounded  and  the 
sick;  in  short,  a  great  part,  and  indeed,  one  of  the  chief  parts  of 
the  business  of  this  Church  was  to  take  care  that  no  person,  however 
low  in  life,  should  suffer  from  want,  either  of  sustenance  or 
care." — Cohbett  (Non-Cath.),  in  History  of  the  Reformatio)!. 

THE   WORUDLY  D1S.\DVANTAGE8  OF  RELIGION 

Those  who  aspire  to  have  part  with  Our  Lord  in  His  kingdom 
must  be  prepared  to  accept  the  fact  that  their  religion  will  be  an 
obstacle  to  their  getting  on  in  the  world,  that  it  handicaps  them 
heavily  at  the  starting,  and  that  the  irreligious  man  often  prospers 
while  the  faithful  suffers.  This  was  the  case  with  our  blessed  Lord. 
He  lived  in  poverty  and  labour.  He  was  rejected  by  every  class,  He 
died  in  ignominy,  absolutely  crushed  by  His  victorious  enemies, 
precisely  because  He  was  the  Holy  One  of  God,  and  because  He 
called  me  to  a  spiritual,  unworldly  and  Divine  life.  We  are  not  to 
suppose  that  He  endured  all  this  in  our  stead,  but  it  was  to  show  us 
what  we  must  be  prepared  to  endure,  and  often  must  actually  endure. 
"It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  master,  and  the 
servant  as  his  lord"  (Matt.  x.  25).  St.  Paul  also  warns  us  that 
we  can  not  escape  temporal  evils  if  we  would  "live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus"  (II  Tim.  iii,  12).  The  whole  of  the  New  Testament  abounds 
in  prophecies  and  examples  of  the  persecutions,  hatred,  calumny, 
opposition,  restraints,  disabilities,  losses,  suspicion,  ridicule  and  other 
evils,  which  are  to  follow  those  who  are  consistently  and  thoroughly 
faithful  to  Christ. — Bishop  Bellord. 


THE  CHURCH  133 

PERSECUTION  OF  THE  CHI  RCIl 

Men  who  begin  to  fight  the  Church  for  the  sake  of  freedom  and 
humanity  end  by  flinging  away  freedom  and  humanity  if  only  they 
may  fight  the  Church. — Chesterton  {Non-Cath.),  in  Orthodoxy. 

These  times  are  supposed  to  be  liberal,  tolerant,  indifferent  as 
to  a  man's  opinions ;  but  even  now  may  be  found  numerous  instances 
of  persecution.  Our  children  are  often  persecuted  in  the  schools, 
our  young  working  men  and  girls  in  factories  and  workshops. 
Catholics  are  kept  out  of  positions  for  which  their  abilities  make 
them  as  fit  as  anyone  else.  Let  them  not  murmur  nor  repine.  Let 
them,  indeed,  use  all  lawful  means  to  procure  just  treatment,  but 
in  the  meantime  let  them  rejoice  that  they  are  counted  worthy  to 
suffer  something-  for  His  Name's  sake. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  WORLD  PERSECUTES  THE  CEIURCH  AS  IT  PERSECUTED  CHRIST 

The  world  is  fiercely  attacking  the  Church,  it  aims  to  condemn 
Christ  once  more  to  death,  and  to  this  end  brings  false  witnesses 
against  Him.     It  aims  to  cast  down  and  demolish  His  Church. 

— St.  Theresa. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  SINNERS 

Human  at  once  and  Christ-like,  this  attitude  of  the  Church  toward 
sin  has  ever  been  one  of  the  strongest  arguments  for  her  Divinity. 
It  takes  the  experience  of  ages  and  the  wisdom  born  of  world-wide 
practice,  it  requires  the  tender  patience  of  a  mother  and  the  Divine 
love  of  an  Infinite  God,  thus  to  commingle  with  the  off-scourings  of 
the  race,  to  choose  as  a  mission  the  treatment  of  all  human  sin  and 
to  succeed.  And  to  see  the  Church  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  mission, 
to  note  her  ability,  her  constancy,  her  long-suffering,  her  unselfish- 
ness, her  success,  is  to  have  encountered  an  almost  irresistible  appeal 
to  accept  her  as  Divine. — Joseph  McSorley,  C.S.P. 

THE   VISIBLE  CHURCH  COMPRISES  BOTH  GOOD   AND   B.4D  MEMBERS 

Now  this  Church  is  known  and  compared  to  a  city  seated  on  a 
mountain,  which  is  seen  from  every  side  (Matt,  v,  14)  ;  for  as  all 
must  obey  her  authority,  it  is  necessary  that  she  be  known.  Nor 
does  the  Church  include  the  good  only,  but  also  the  bad  as  the 
Gospel  teaches  in  many  parables ;  as  when  it  mentions  that  "the 
kingdom  of  heaven,"  that  is,  the  Church  militant,  "is  like  to  a  net 
cast  into  the  sea"  (Matt,  xiii,  47),  or  to  a  field  in  which  tares  were 
sown  amongst  (the  good  grain)  (Matt,  xiii,  24)  or  to  a  threshing- 
floor  on  which  the  grain  is  mixed  up  with  the  chaff  (Luke,  iii,  17), 
or  to  ten  virgins,  some  of  whom  were  wise,  and  some  foolish  (Matt, 
xxi,  I,  sq.).  But  long  before  also,  we  may  behold  a  figure  and 
resemblance  of  this  Church  in  the  ark  of  Noah,  in  which  were 
contained  not  only  clean,  but  also  unclean  animals,  (Gen.  vii,  2; 
I  Pet.  iii,  20).  But,  although  the  Catholic  faith  truly  and  constantly 
affirms  that  to  the  Church  belong  the  good  and  the  bad,  yet  it  is 
to  be  explained  to  the  faithful  from  the  same  rules  of  faith,  that 
very  different  is  the  condition  of  each  class;  for,  as  the  chaff  is 
mingled    with    the    grain    on    the    threshing-floor,    or    as    members. 


134    ILLUSTRATIONS  LOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

deadened  in  various  ways,  sometimes  remain  attached  to  the  body, 
so  also  are  the  wicked  contained  in  the  Church. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

HOLT  EMULATION  IN  THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  CHURCH 

There  are  ample  motives  urging  us  to  take  a  wide  view  and  to 
cultivate  a  generous  disposition  in  our  work  of  helping  the  Church 
and  her  institutions.  If  we  are  striving  for  anything  higher  than 
merely  escaping  hell,  our  rule  of  life  will  be  to  do  that  which  tends 
to  the  greater  glory  of  God.  All  our  actions  will  be  measured  by 
this  standard.  The  work  of  the  Church,  however,  is  especially  God's 
work  on  earth.  The  Church  is  the  instrument  which  God  has  devised 
for  the  salvation  of  men.  Nay,  it  is  the  very  continuation  of  His 
own  wonderful  Incarnation.  To  minister  to  the  needs  of  the 
Church,  therefore,  is  to  minister  to  Christ's  mystical  body ;  it  is  the 
most  direct  way  of  ministering  to  God  Himself.  If  Christ  were  on 
earth,  with  what  generosity  should  we  provide  for  His  ministrations ! 
But  the  Church  exists  solely  to  continue  those  ministrations,  solely 
to  save  sinners.  There  can  be  no  offering,  therefore,  too  good  that 
we  can  make  to  the  Church  in  order  to  enable  her  the  better  to 
carry  on  her  work. 

Secondly,  we  need  to  make  special  efforts  in  these  days  because 
the  efforts  of  the  enemy  are  so  well  organized  and  persistent. 
Secularism  has  summoned  to  its  aid  some  of  the  best  things  that 
science,  art  or  literature  can  provide.  Theaters,  municipal  buildings, 
libraries,  museums,  technical  schools  and  even  railway  stations  are 
designed  by  the  best  architects.  Shall  God's  house  be  served  with  a 
less  worthy  service  ?  Poor  law  schools,  reformatories,  asylums  and 
infirmaries  provided  by  the  state  or  municipality  are  fitted  with  the 
latest  scientific  improvements.  Shall  the  few  institutions  which  the 
Church  keeps  directly  under  her  control  fare  worse  than  these? 
Oftentimes  the  call  upon  Catholics  is  so  great  as  to  make  this  a 
necessity.  It  is  well,  however,  to  bear  the  contrast  in  mind,  as  a 
motive  for  holy  emulation  in  the  cause  of  God's  Church. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

THE  SPIRITUAL  WEALTH  OF  THE  CHURCH 

One  source  of  strength  is  the  abundant  wealth  of  the  Church 
in  doctrine,  devotion,  and  practical  piety,  out  of  which  she  is  able 
to  satisfy  every  class  of  men,  both  simple  and  cultivated,  and  every 
faculty  of  mind,  or  imagination,  or  heart.  Systems  of  philosophy 
have  been  adapted  only  to  the  few,  the  educated  of  one  country 
or  one  age :  they  have  never  extended  to  the  great  masses  of  popula- 
tion. Religions  also  have  generally  had  a  special  national  character, 
which  limited  their  influence  to  certain  races,  to  Orientals,  or  to 
dwellers  in  the  North,  to  Arabs,  to  Greeks,  or  barbarians.  Some 
religions  are  eminently  for  respectable  people,  others  are  intolerable 
to  any  but  the  half-educated. — Bishop  BeUord. 

LOYALTY  TO  THE  CHURCH 

Is  our  attitude  one  of  loyalty  and  devotion?  Is  our  Faith  the 
highest  in  our  thoughts  and  deepest  in  our  hearts?    It  has  created  a 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SCIENCE  135 

standard  of  living-.  Arc  our  lives  being  shaped  accordingly?  Is 
our  morality  derived  from  the  inspirations  of  that  Faith?  Are  our 
thoughts  thought,  our  judgments  framed,  our  words  uttered,  our 
actions  performed  in  consonance  with  its  teachings?  Have  we 
tutored  our  wills  to  accept  readily  and  unconditionally  all  the  truths 
it  proposes  for  our  acceptance  ?  Are  we  proud  of  our  religion  ?  Is 
it  as  much  to  us,  or  rather  is  it  more  to  us  than  home  or  country  ? 
Is  it  in  our  eyes  our  chiefest  possession?  This  examination  of 
conscience  will  reveal  to  us  our  position.  Is  there  any  need  of 
exhortation  ?  Should  it  be  necessary  to  remind  you  of  what  value 
your  faith  is  to  you?  Should  it  be  needful  to  ask  you  to  be  loyal  to 
your  Church,  when  that  loyalty  means  loyalty  to  yourself  and  to 
vour  best  and  most  momentous  and  most  lasting  interests .'' 

—P.  A.  Hatpin. 

THE    CHURCH  AND  SCIENCE 

RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE 

Religion  is  very  frequently  represented  as  obstructing  scientific 
investigation.  The  current  statements  to  this  effect  are  absolutely 
false.  Christianity  has  always  been  learned  and  scientific.  She,  too, 
says,  "Nil  luimanum  a  me  alienum  puto,"  all  that  concerns  human 
life  or  thought  is  of  interest  to  her.  She  has  been  the  nursing  mother 
of  science;  she  preserved  and  revived  learning,  she  primed  gradually 
the  mind  of  Europe,  she  taught  the  methods  which  in  time  produced 
the  present  marvelous  results.  All  that  she  has  done  in  the  way  of 
restriction  amounts  to  this :  she  teaches  that  mundane  physical  science 
is  not  the  most  necessary,  the  most  sacred,  and  the  most  irresponsible 
of  all  things,  nor  its  rights  supreme  above  all  other  rights;  but  it  is 
susceptible  of  being  wrongly  used,  devotion  to  it  may  run  to  injurious 
excess,  like  devotion  to  any  other  of  God's  creatures ;  all  knowledge 
is  not  expedient  for  every  man,  and,  if  it  is  injurious  to  his  faith  or 
morals,  a  man  is  better  without  it;  indeed,  a  man  can  attain  to  his 
highest  development  as  man  without  the  aid  of  any  natural  science. 
Due  guidance  and  moderation  in  pursuit  of  knowledge  are  necessary 
to  men.  Further,  religion  possesses  a  certain  body  of  truths  which 
she  has  received,  not  by  way  of  critical  investigation  and  scientific 
discovery,  but  by  revelation  from  God.  She  presents  these  to  us  for 
our  humble  acceptance  and  reverent  meditation,  and  she  will  not  admit 
the  capacity  of  the  human  intellect  to  sit  in  judgment  on  them  to 
choose  or  reject.  She  is  the  sole  and  unerring  guide,  and  her  teach- 
ings are  above  question  or  discussion,  for  she  speaks  the  words  of 
God  Himself. — Bishop  Bellord. 

A  PROTESTANT  WTilTER'S  VIEW  ABOCT  THE  CHURCH  AND  SCIENCE 

Is  the  Church  weakened  by  an  opposing  Science?  Listen  to  an 
authority:  "The  parvenues  of  science  who  a  generation  ago  foresaw 
the  downfall  of  religion — 'in  fifty  years  your  Christianity  will  have 
died  out,'  said  one — are  going  to  be  as  disappointed  as  was  the 
fashionable  society  of  Butler's  day  [when,  in  his  Analogy,  he  declared 
that  Christianity  had  already  one  foot  in  the  grave].     For  there  is 


136    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

more  to  life  than   Science  can  ever  deal  with,  and  so   far  as  the 
eternal  problems  of  our  human  lot  are  concerned,  all  the  sciences 
together  are  like  inch-worms  clambering^  up  the  Matterhorn  in  an 
endeavour  to  discover  the  distance  of  the  stars!" 
— {Harry  Emerson  Fosdick,  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  October,  1913.) 

THE  CHl'RCH  AND  SCIKNCE 

And  so  the  Church  has  been  accused,  and  is  still  accused  some- 
limes,  of  being  the  enemy  of  learning  and  science,  the  foe  of 
progress,  and  the  supporter  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  She  can 
afford  to  smile  at  the  ignorance  of  her  accusers,  she  has  no  need  to 
defend  herself,  for  the  very  stones  cry  out  against  them.  The  witness 
of  history  is  clear  and  decisive,  that  if  there  have  been  preserved  to 
the  world  the  treasures  of  classical  literature,  the  arts,  sciences  of 
bygone  ages,  the  stored-up  wisdom  of  the  sages  of  old,  it  is  due  to 
the  ceaseless  efforts  of  the  Church  and  her  most  devoted  servants.- 
Strong  in  a  faith  which  can  never  falter,  and  in  a  truth  which  neither 
modern  discoveries  nor  ancient  philosophy  can  ever,  I  will  not  say 
destroy,  but  even  shake  for  a  moment,  she  hands  down  to  the  world 
through  all  the  ages  the  accumulated  science  of  past  generations. 
Take  those  IMiddle  Ages,  which  are  known  by  the  contemptuous  name 
of  the  Dark  Ages,  in  which  it  is  represented  that  the  world  was  sunk 
in  barbarism,  owing  to  the  power  of  the  Church.  What  do  we  find 
when  we  examine  them  more  closely?  We  find  an  age  in  which  the 
light  of  faith  burned  brilliantly,  in  the  midst  of  the  turbulence  of  a 
society  not  yet  completely  civilized.  We  find  striking  contrasts,  great 
crimes  side  by  side  with  extraordinary  sanctity,  ignorance  indeed, 
but  at  the  same  time  learning  such  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  parallel 
nowadays.  We  find  the  Christian  nations  emerging  from  barbarism. 
And  whose  hand  is  it  that  is  ever  stretched  out  to  draw  from  the 
abyss  of  ignorance  but  that  of  the  Catholic  Church? 

• — Bede  Camni,  O.  S.  B. 

FAITH  AND  SCIENCE 

A  favourite  argument  of  those  who  assert  the  incompatibility  of 
faith  and  science  has  been  the  claim  that  almost  all  great  scientists 
have  been,  and  are,  unbelievers.  That  this  claim  is  false  has  been 
proved  by  inquiries  made  recently  by  both  Protestants  and  Catholics. 
Investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  ninety-two  per  cent  of  all 
scientists  of  real  standing,  of  both  the  past  and  the  present,  are  be- 
lievers in  God,  and  the  greater  number  are  practical  Christians. 

THE  BIBLE  AND  SCIENCE 

A  century  ago  or  so,  ridicule  was  iicaped  in  the  name  of  science 
on  the  description  in  the  Bible  of  the  last  day:  "The  stars  shall 
fall,"  "and  the  powers  of  heaven  shall  be  moved,"  "the  elements  shall 
be  melted  with  heat,  and  the  earth  shall  be  burnt  up,"  (Matt,  xxiv., 
29  seq. ;  Luke  xxi.,  25  seq. ;  Mark  xiii.,  24  seq. ;  2  Pet.  iii.,  10).  Then 
the  assertion  that  stones  could  fall  from  the  skies  caused  a  smile, 
but  now  science  has  come  to  the  general  knowledge  that  this  is  not 
only  possible,  but  perhaps  really  will  be  the  end  of  all  things,  if  once 
our  earth  on  its  journey  through  unknown  spaces  of  the  universe 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SCIENCE  137 

should   collide   with   a   comet   or   get   into   a   cosmic   cloud   of   large 
meteors. 

FREEDOM    OF    TEACHIXG    NOT    UNRESTRICTED    EVEN    AMONG    PBOTES- 
T.VNTS 

The  Independent  (New  York)  of  Feb.  2,  19 14,  reports  vmder  the 
head  "Freedom  of  Teaching"  the  dismissal  of  a  professor  from  the 
Presbyterian  University  at  Easton,  Pa.  After  quoting  from  the 
charter  Article  VIII,  which  provides  "that  persons  of  every  religious 
denomination  shall  be  capable  of  being  elected  trustees,  nor  shall 
any  person,  either  as  principal,  professor,  tutor  or  pupil  be  refused 
admittance  into  said  college,  or  denied  any  of  the  privileges,  immuni- 
ties or  advantages  thereof,  for  or  on  account  of  his  sentiments  in 
matters  of  religion,"  the  report  goes  on  to  say:  "It  appears,  however, 
from  the  investigations  of  the  committee,  that  President  Warfield 
insists  that  the  instruction  in  philosophy  and  psychology  has  to  be 
such,  as,  in  his  opinion,  accords  with  the  most  conservative  form  of 
Presbyterian  theolog>'." 

CREATION  AND  EVOLUTION 

The  word  "creation"  has  two  meanings.  In  one  sense  it  means  the 
making  of  something  out  of  nothing.  In  another  sense  it  means 
the  arrangement  and  development  or  evolution  of  that  first  something 
into  the  subsequent  forms  of  nature.  There  are  various  opinions  as 
to  wdiat  extent  this  evolution  took  place.  A  Catholic  is  allowed  much 
freedom  in  this  matter.  One  thing,  however,  he  is  bound  to  hold 
against  all  extreme  evolutionists,  namely,  that  the  soul  of  man  was 
specially  created  and  infused  into  the  body  by  God.  There  are  other 
truths  bearing  on  this  subject  which,  though  not  of  Catholic  faith, 
should  be  insisted  upon  in  the  name  of  science.  The  two  most  im- 
portant are,  first,  that  no  one  has  yet  succeeded  in  producing  life  from 
non-life;  and  secondly,  that  no  one  has  yet  bridged  the  gulf  between 
reason  and  sensation.  These  truths  are  the  two  great  stumbling- 
blocks  which  lie  in  the  way  of  those  shallow  scientists  who  would 
explain  away  the  dogma  of  creation  by  an  artificial  and  exaggerated 
system  of  evolution. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

SCIENTIFIC    THEORIES    SHORT    LIVED 

And  how  often  the  hypotheses  of  profane  sciences  change !  "Lay- 
men are  astonished,"  savs  H.  Poincare,  "that  so  many  scientific 
theories  are  perishable.  They  see  them  thrive  for  a  few  years,  to  be 
abandoned  one  after  the  other;  they  see  wrecks  heaped  upon  wrecks; 
they  foresee  that  theories  now  fashionable  will  after  a  short  while 
be  forgotten,  and  they  conclude  that  these  theories  are  absolute 
fallacy.  They  call  it  tlie  bankruptcy  of  science."  The  conclusion 
is  certainly  unjustified,  but  the  fact  itself  remains.  Is  it  then  a  loss 
to  science  when  faith  opposes  in  the  field  of  religion  these  variations 
of  opinion  with  fixed  dogmas? — IV.  Lockhart. 

WHAT  AN  INFIDEL   SCIENTIST  S.\YS   OF  HUJIAN  KNOWLEDGE 

We  grant  at  once  that  the  innermost  character  of  nature  is  just 
as  little  understood  by  us  as  it  was  by  Anaximander  and  Empedocles 


138    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

2400  years  ago,  by  Spinoza  and  Newton  two  hundred  years  ago,  by 
Kant  and  Goethe  one  hundred  years  ago.  We  must  even  grant  that 
this  essence  and  substance  become  more  mysterious  and  enigmatic 
the  deeper  we  penetrate  into  the  knowledge  of  its  attributes. 

— Ernst  Haeckel. 

And  the  great  Newton,  in  the  evening  of  his  life,  thus  estimates 
the  worth  of  his  knowledge:  "What  the  world  may  think  about  my 
labour  I  do  not  know :  I  feel  like  a  child  that  plays  on  the  strand  of 
the  sea:  now  and  then  I  may  perhaps  find  a  pebble  or  shell  more 
beautiful  than  those  of  my  playmates,  while  the  boundless  ocean 
lies  ever  before  me  with  its  undiscovered  treasures." 

CHANGES   OF   HUMAN   OPINION 

The  Church  is,  and  always  has  been,  independent  of  the  changes 
of  human  opinion.  What  God  has  revealed  is  what  man  is  unable 
to  find  out  for  himself;  and  no  matter  what  discoveries  man  may 
make,  or  suppose  himself  to  have  made,  the  authority  of  Divinely 
revealed  truth  is  supreme.  That  truth  cannot  be  altered  or  abandoned 
by  reason  of  any  merely  human  opinion,  however  widespread  or 
however  strongly  supported.  But,  indeed,  even  apart  from  the  neces- 
sarily supreme  authority  of  the  "depositum  fidei,"  the  experience  of 
past  centuries  would  be  sufficient  to  show  the  folly  of  abandoning 
the  firm  ground  of  revelation  for  the  shifting  sands  of  opinion. 
People  are  always  strong  advocates  of  their  own  opinion;  their 
advocacy  would  even  seem  to  be  the  stronger  in  proportion  as  their 
opinions  are  ill-founded;  and  from  time  to  time  the  advocates  of  new 
opinions  are  passionately  indignant  at  the  Church's  refusal  to  support 
them.  But  no  opinion  is  permanent;  the  most  popular  is  generally 
the  first  to  give  way  to  a  successor,  and  if  the  Church  could  have 
made  itself  the  advocate  of  every  new  opinion  which  could  claim 
the  support  of  numbers  and  of  plausibility  she  would  long  ago  have 
been  too  discredited  to  continue  to  exist.  It  is  the  same  with  all 
branches  of  human  knowledge :  theology,  philosophy,  science,  litera- 
ture, and  even  art  have  all  furnished  the  foundation  for  heresy  after 
heresy,  of  few  of  which  is  there  any  vestige  remaining  in  the  world. 

A  typical  instance  may  be  found  in  the  treatment  by  most  Christian 
bodies  of  the  Darwinian  theory  of  evolution  in  our  own  day.  The 
outburst  of  intense  indignation  which  greeted  the  address  at  Belfast, 
in  which  Professor  Tyndall  commended  the  doctrine  to  popular 
acceptance,  is  well  within  the  memory  of  many  of  us.  But  it  was  not 
long,  an  affair  of  little  more  than  months,  before  the  Darwinian 
hypothesis  was  declared  from  countless  pulpits  to  be  not  merely  con- 
sistent with  the  Christian  doctrine  of  creation,  but  a  striking  con- 
firmation, even  in  detail,  of  the  Mosaic  cosmogony.  Finally,  within 
the  last  few  years,  it  has  come  to  be  considered  doubtful,  at  best, 
whether  the  doctrine  of  evolution,  as  stated  by  the  great  naturalist, 
has  any  real  foundation  at  all. — A.  B.  Sliarpe. 

THE  NARROWNESS  OF  ATIIEISIVI 

It  is  a  source  of  wonder  to  many  of  us  how  minds  great  in  one 
department  are  deplorably  weak  in  other  fields.    For  instance,  we  are 


THE  CHURCH  AND  CIVILIZATION  13d 

told  that  Lelande,  the  great  astronomer,  when  discussing  with  one 
the  existence  of  God,  complacently  said,  without  apparently  seeing^ 
the  absurdity  and  lack  of  logic  in  his  remark:  "I  have  swept  the 
entire  heavens  with  my  telescope,  and  I  can  find  no  God  there."  So 
weak  and  illogical  are  others,  who  frequently  affirm  that  they  will 
believe  nothing  that  they  cannot  see.  As  well  might  we  say  that  we 
do  not  believe  in  most  of  the  inventions  of  modern  genius — the 
telegraph,  the  telephone,  the  phonograph,  the  X-ray,  all  of  electric- 
ity's miraculous  strides,  and  of  spectrum  analysis — all  of  which  act 
as  unseen  forces,  and  in  which  we  believe,  though  we  do  not  see  them. 

— W.  Lockhart. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  CIVILIZATION 

THE  CHURCH  AND  PROGRESS 

The  Church  has  always  been  concerned,  and  now  as  much  as 
formerly,  with  the  real  progress  of  men,  i.  e.,  their  moral  and  in- 
tellectual advancement,  their  social  order,  their  happiness,  and  the 
averting  of  the  evils  of  war,  disease  and  the  like,  even  although  these 
lie  outside  the  sphere  of  strictly  spiritual  progress.  But  there  is 
another  department  of  worldly  progress,  it  is  that  which  is  simply 
material,  or  rather  it  consists  of  the  instruments  of  progress,  wealth, 
comfort,  inventions,  machinery,  commerce,  rapid  transport,  great 
buildings,  sanitary  improvements  and  such  like.  Although  the  Church 
has  taken  her  full  share  in  the  development  of  these,  still  they  lie 
further  outside  her  principal  object,  and,  in  later  times  especially,  she 
has  devoted  less  attention  to  them.  At  the  same  time  men  are  getting 
to  value  these  things  more  and  more,  and  to  set  them,  not  only  above 
spiritual  interests,  but  above  the  higher  worldly  interests  of  mankind. 
Material  progress  has  come  to  be  considered  as  the  real  substance  of 
progress  and  an  end  in  itself,  instead  of  the  means  and  instrument  of 
progress.  The  Church  has  not  shared  in  this  exorbitant  appreciation 
of  material  achievements.  She  has  pointed  out  that  their  advantages 
are  not  unmixed;  that,  according  to  the  way  they  are  used,  they  may 
be  injurious  as  well  as  beneficial;  that  they  may  be  prejudicial  to  the 
highest  progress  of  man,  and  that  their  use  must  be  controlled  and 
subordinated  to  the  spiritual  laws  of  justice  and  charity. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  CHURCH  THE  ENEJIY  OF  FAI.SE  PROGRESS 

In  one  limited  sense  the  Church  is  the  enemy  of  progress,  i.  e., 
of  a  certain  progress  that  is  destructive  of  all  real  advance.  It  is 
only  to  be  called  progress  in  a  logical  sense,  viz.,  because  it  is  the 
carrying  out  of  the  false  promises  to  worse  conclusions.  There  is  a 
certain  kind  of  advance  in  the  sense  of  continuing  on  the  same  lines; 
but  it  is  the  advance  of  one  who  is  rushing  blindly  down  a  decline 
toward  a  precipice.  This  is  the  nature  of  what  are  called  modern 
ideas,  as  opposed  to  Christian  ideas. — Bishop  Bellord. 

DECAY  RATHER  THAN  PROGRESS  IN  THE  CHRISTIAN  LJFK 

Progress  there  has  been  in  the  arts  and  sciences ;  but  progress 
in  the  way  of  Christian  perfection ;  progress  in  the  practise  of  the 
Christian  virtues;  progress  in  the  art  of  living  soberly,  and  justly, 


140    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

and  godly  in  this  world  it  is  to  be  feared  there  has  been  none. 
Rather  do  we  see  tokens  of  decay  in  the  Christian  life  that  were 
not  visible  to  our  forefatiiers.  "My  just  man  liveth  by  faith,"  says 
the  Apostle,  and,  taking  the  world  as  a  whole,  faith  does  not  appear 
to  have  grown  stronger.  On  t'.ie  contrary,  outside  of  the  Church, 
men  have  in  their  tens  of  thousands  abjured  that  faith  in  the  Divine 
inspiration  of  the  Bible  which  their  forefathers  of  a  century  ago 
cherished  as  their  most  precious  possesion. — Bishop  A.  McDonald. 

RELIGION  THE  MFE  OF  CIVILIZATION 

The  first  need  of  human  society  is  God.  Religion  is  the  life  of 
civilization.  This  is  historically  true,  inasmuch  as  Christianity  started 
our  present  civilization,  and  supplied  the  forces  which  moulded  it;  and 
it  is  proved  by  the  witness  of  loth  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  Those 
who  will  not  accept  that  authority  may  learn  the  same  truth  experi- 
mentally. Nothing  is  more  evident  than  that  some  other  influence  is 
required  to  make  civilization  a  success  besides  civilization  itself. 
Even  the  heathen  knew  this  and  asked:  "quid  leges  sine  vioribiis?" 
What  are  laws  apart  from  morals?  Of  what  use  are  the  best  of  civil 
and  social  institutions  when  manipulated  by  men  without  conscience 
or  integrity?  Human  corruption  can  turn  the  best  of  God's  gifts  into 
instruments  of  evil.  The  success  of  civilization  depends  not  so  much 
on  the  substance  of  it,  as  on  the  manner  in  which  it  is  carried  on. 
The  passions  of  arrogance,  and  cruelty,  and  lust,  and  greed,  need 
to  be  restrained,  else  they  become  the  guiding  principles  of  civilized 
life,  and  work  out  its  ruin.  The  control  of  these  is  beyond  the 
function  of  civilization;  it  belongs  only  to  religion. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  rAILlRE  OF  CIVILIZATION 

But  what  are  the  actual  facts?  Are  the  hopes  of  mankind  likely 
to  be  realized,  or  is  it  not  rather  the  case  that,  as  civilization  advances, 
hopes  give  way  to  disappointment?  The  promises  have  been  high 
enough  to  satisfy  anyone,  but  there  is  no  fulfilment.  Every  advantage 
gained  seems  to  have  some  curse  attached  to  it.  Every  evil  seems  to 
increase.  Human  nature  has  not  changed,  and  life  goes  on  in  much 
the  same  way  as  ever.  Man  is  still  subject  to  the  law  of  toil  and 
suffering;  we  have  the  poor  still  with  us;  sin  still  prevails,  and  with 
it  misery. 

The  actual  state  of  the  world  is  an  extraordinary  problem ;  it  is 
so  unexpected,  so  unaccountable,  according  to  prevailing  ideas,  and 
so  self-contradictory.  It  is  full  of  extremes.  Those  who  know  one 
side  of  it  can  hardly  believe  in  the  other.  Civilization  is  at  the 
same  time  the  greatest  of  blessings  and  the  greatest  of  curses;  it 
promises  a  magnificent  future,  and  it  threatens  universal  destruction; 
it  raises  and  enriches  those  who  are  above  a  certain  level ;  all  who 
are  below  that  level  it  degrades  and  crushes  into  mere  abject  misery. 
It  has  been  well  said  that  "Our  present  type  of  society  is  in  many 
respects  one  of  the  most  horrible  that  has  ever  existed  in  the  world's 
history — boundless  luxury  and  self-indulgence  at  one  end  of  the  scale, 
and  at  the  other  a  condition  of  life  as  cruel  as  that  of  a  Roman  slave, 
and  more  degraded  than  that  of  a  South  Sea  Islander." 

—Bishop  Bellord. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  CIVILIZATION  141 

THE  INSTABILITY  OF  CIVILIZATION 

Those  civilizations  were  of  as  good  promise  as  ours,  but  there 
was  an  appointed  limit  which  they  could  not  pass.  They  did  not 
continue;  they  withered  like  autumn  leaves,  and  disappeared  almost 
as  completely.  "The  earth  is  the  grave  of  dead  civilizations  as  well 
as  of  men"  (Devas);  as  we  scrape  its  surface  we  are  discovering 
each  day  memorials  of  the  great  power  and  high  cultivation  of  royal 
races  whose  very  memory  has  perished.  Other  nations  come;  in 
some  cases  they  may  take  up  the  former  civilization  and  carry  it 
on  in  their  own  fashion;  more  frequently  they  begin  again  afresh 
and  soon  surpass  their  predecessors.  We  have  no  assurance  that 
our  civilization  will  not  die  out  in  its  turn.  It  would  be  a  fit  ending 
for  our  pride  were  it  to  be  humbled  to  the  dust,  and  all  our  grandeur 
hidden  from  the  knowledge  of  future  generations  under  six  feet  of 
vegetable  mould. — Bishop  Bellord. 

I'KOTESTANTS  ON  THE  CHURCH   AND  CI\TLIZATION 

No  human  ingenuity  is  capable  of  estimating  what  modern  civiliza- 
tion owes  to  the  ofreat  Catholic  Church. — Governor  Szvanson. 


And  I  am  happy  to  pay  tribute  to  that  Church  which  you  represent, 
as  one  of  the  greatest  forces  for  order  and  civilization. — Ex-Speaker 
Cannon. 


The  crowd  of  unknown  Saints  whose  names  fill  the  calendars  mainly 
represent  the  age  of  heroic  spiritual  ventures,  of  which  we  see  glimpses 
of  St.  Boniface,  the  Apostle  of  Germany;  of  St.  Columban  and  St.  Gall 
wandering  from  Ireland  to  reclaim  the  barbarians  of  the  Burgundian 
deserts  and  of  the  shores  of  the  Swiss  lakes.  It  was  among  men  like 
these — men  who  were  termed  emphatically  "men  of  religion" —  that 
the  new  races  first  saw  the  example  of  life  ruled  by  a  great  and 
serious  purpose,  which  yet  was  not  one  of  ambition,  or  the  excitement 
of  war;  a  life  of  deliberate  and  steady  industry,  of  hard  and  uncom- 
plaining labour,  a  life  as  full  of  activity  in  peace,  of  stout  and  brave 
work  as  a  warrior's  was  wont  to  be  in  the  camp,  on  the  march,  in 
battle.  It  was  in  these  men  and  in  the  Christianity  which  they 
taught,  and  which  inspired  and  governed  them,  that  the  fathers  of 
our  modern  nations  first  saw  exemplified  the  sense  of  human  responsi- 
bility; first  learned  the  nobleness  of  a  ruled  and  disciplined  life;  first 
enlarged  their  thoughts  of  the  uses  of  existence;  first  were  taught 
the  dignity  and  sacredness  of  honest  toil.  These  great  axioms  of 
modern  life  passed  silently  from  the  special  homes  of  religious  em- 
ployment to  those  of  civil ;  from  the  cloisters  and  cells  of  men  who, 
when  they  were  not  engaged  in  worship,  were  engaged  in  field  work, 
or  book  work — clearing  the  forest,  extending  cultivation,  multiplying 
manuscripts — to  the  guild  of  the  craftsman,  to  the  shop  of  the  trader, 
the  study  of  the  scholar.  ...  It  was  the  power  and  sanction  of 
a  religion  and  a  creed  which  first  broke  men  into  their  yoke  that 
now  seems  so  easy. — Dean  Church  (Non-Cath.)  in  Influences  of 
Christianity  Upon  National  Character. 


142    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

From  the  fifth  to  the  thirteenth  century  the  Church  was  engaged 
in  elaborating  the  most  splendid  organization  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
Starting  with  the  separation  of  the  spiritual  from  the  temporal  power, 
and  the  mutual  independence  of  each  in  its  own  sphere,  Catholicism 
worked  hand  in  hand  with  feudalism  for  the  amelioration  of  mankind. 
Under  the  influence  of  feudalism,  slavery  became  serfdom,  and  ag- 
gressive was  modified  into  defensive  war.  Under  the  influence  of 
Catholicism  the  monasteries  preserved  learning  and  maintained  the 
sense  of  the  unity  of  Christendom.  Under  the  combined  influence 
of  both  grew  up  the  lovely  ideal  of  chivalry,  moulding  generous  in- 
stincts into  gallant  institutions,  making  the  body  vigorous  and  the 
soul  pure,  and  welding  the  Christian  virtues  of  humility  and  tender- 
ness into  the  natural  grace  of  courage  and  strength. 

During  this  period  the  Church  was  the  one  mighty  witness  for 
light  in  an  age  of  darkness,  for  order  in  an  age  of  lawlessness,  for 
personal  holiness  in  an  epoch  of  licentious  rage. — Canon  Farrar 
(Non-Cath.)  in  The  Victories  of  Christianity. 

Christianity,  so  far  from  belonging  to  the  Dark  Ages,  was  the 
one  path  across  the  Dark  Ages  that  was  not  dark.  It  was  a  shining 
bridge  connecting  two  shining  civilizations.  .  .  .  Now  can  we 
say  that  the  Church  wishes  to  bring  us  back  into  the  Dark  Ages? 
The  Church  was  the  only  thing  that  ever  brought  us  out  of  them. 

Chesterton  (Non-Cath.)  in  Orthodoxy. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  POETRY 

Longfellow  (Non-Cath.))  says  of  the  Catholic  devotional  poetry 
of  Spain  that  he  knows  "of  nothing  in  any  modern  tongue  so 
beautiful  as  some  of  its  finest  passages.  The  thoughts  spring  heaven- 
ward from  the  soul, — the  language  comes  burning  from  the  lip. 
The  imagination  of  the  poet  seems  spiritualized;  with  nothing  of 
earth,  and  all  of  Heaven, — a  Heaven  like  that  of  his  own  native 
clime,  without  a  cloud,  or  a  vapour  of  earth,  to  obscure  its  brightness" 

— Outrc-Mcr. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  ART 

Dr.  Charles  J.  Whitby  (Non-Cath.),  a  contributor  to  the  London 
Academy,  affirms  that  ,  "In  the  Middle  Ages  poets,  artists,  scholars, 
and  thinkers,  were  attracted  to  the  Church  by  an  inevitable  affinity. 
The  Church  assimilated  the  work  of  such  men,  wrought  it  up  into 
a  coherent  and  more  or  less  harmonious  whole,  and  thus  became  the 
organ  and  the  mouthpiece  of  every  form  of  culture." 

THE   POPE 

THE  PRIMACY  OF  PETER 

The  Son  of  God,  having  willed  that  His  Church  should  be  one, 
and  solidly  built  upon  unity,  has  established  the  Primacy  of  St. 
Peter  to  bind  it  together  and  cement  it,  wherefore  we  recognize  that 
same  Primacy  in  the  successors  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  to 
whom  on  that  account  is  due  submission  and  obedience,  as  the  holy 
Councils  and  the  Holy  Fathers  have  ever  taught  to  all  the  faithful. 
Surely,    if    the    authors    of    the    pretended    Reformation    had    loved 


THE  POPE  148 

unity  they  would  not  have  aboHshed  the  government  of  bishops, 
which  was  estabhshed  by  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  and  which  we  see 
in  force  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  nor  would  they  have  despised 
the  authority  of  the  Chair  of  St.  Peter,  which  has  so  certain  a 
foundation  in  the  Gospel  and  a  succession  so  evident  in  tradition; 
rather  would  they  have  preserved  with  care  the  authority  of  the 
Episcopate,  which  establishes  unity  in  the  particular  Churches,  and 
the  Primacy  of  St.  Peter's  Chair,  which  is  the  common  centre  of 
all  Catholic  unity.  .  .  .  This  Primacy  is  a  Divine  institution,  not  a 
mere  point  of  discipline;  one  of  the  marks  of  the  Church. — Bossuct. 

Jesus  saitli  to  them:  But  whom  do  you  say  that  I  am? — Simon 
Peter  answered  and  said:  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living 
God. — And  Jesus  answering,  said  to  him:  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon 
Bar-Jona:  because  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but 
My  Father  who  is  in  JJeaven.  And  I  say  to  thee:  that  thou  art  Peter; 
and  upon  this  Rock  I  will  build  My  Church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  Keys  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  And  whatsoever  thou  shall  bind  upon  earth,  it 
shall  be  bound  also  in  Heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on 
earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  Heaven, — Matt.  XVI,  15-19. 

The  Lord  said:  Simon,  Simon,  behold  satan  hath  desired  to  have 
you  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat. — But  I  have  prayed  for  Thee 
that  Thy  faith  fail  not:  and  Thou  being  once  converted,  confirm 
thy  brethren. — Luke  XXII,  31-32. 

THE  NECESSITY  OF  A  LEADER 

Might  we  not  just  as  well  try  to  show  the  necessity  of  a  head 
to  the  human  body  ?  A  body  without  a  head  !  Nature  offers  nothing 
like  it.  Let  the  body  be  human,  politic,  social,  religious:  in  the 
collection  of  units  that  go  to  make  up  the  whole,  in  the  various 
members  that  compose  it,  there  must  be  order,  unity,  harmony, 
solidity;  and  there  can  be  none,  as  there  can  be  no  justification  for 
calling  such  an  aggregation  of  parts  a  moral  whole  or  entity,  without 
co-ordination  of  such  parts,  one  principal  unit  or  part  emerging  as 
the  head  or  chief.  It  is  a  law  of  nature,  based  on  accidental 
inequalities  and  diversity  of  tastes  and  aptitudes,  that  where  many 
are  gathered  together,  one  takes  the  leadership,  all  follow  the  lead  of 
one  best  fitted  to  direct.  The  flock,  the  herd,  yields  to  this  law  of 
nature.  Where  will  you  find  a  fold  without  a  shepherd,  an  army 
without  a  captain,  a  navy  without  an  admiral,  a  ship-crew  without  a 
captain,  a  state  without  a  chief  magistrate?  The  very  school  boy 
becomes  a  leader  of  his  companions.  Even  criminals  obey  this 
law. — John  H.  Staple  ton. 

THE  POPE  DIVINELY  APPOINTED 

"  Is  it  right  that  a  mere  man  should  hold  the  place  of  God  over 
his  fellows?"  Is  it  right  that  any  man  should  hold  a  position  of 
authority  over  orliers  in  any  sphere?  If  in  temporals,  why  not  in 
spirituals?  Worldly  rulers  are  God's  lieutenants.  Parents  are  God's 
vicars.     In  His  sight  we  are  all  children   and  subjects.     Why  not 


144    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LNSTRUCTIONS 

delegate  His  authority  in  one  domain  as  well  as  in  another !  And 
if  He  has  done  so  in  spiritual  matters — as  He  has — why  demand 
reasons  of  the  fact  of  Him  who  is  all  wise?  If  God  did  confer 
supreme  power  on  Peter  and  his  successors,  as  we  know  from  Holy 
Writ  that  He  did,  that  ought  to  be  sought  for  any  one  who  believes 
in  an  infinite  God. — John  H.  Staplcton. 

THE  POPE,  THE  VIISIBLE  HEAD  OF  CHKIST'S  CHURCH 

That  this  visible  head  was  necessary,  to  establish  and  preserve 
the  unity  of  the  Church,  is  the  unanimous  reasoning  and  opinion  of 
the  Fathers.  This  St.  Jerome  both  clearly  saw  and  wrote  against 
Jovinian  in  these  words:  "One  is  chosen,  that,  by  the  appointment  of 
a  head,  occasion  of  schism  may  be  removed"  (Lib.  I,  contr.  Jovin. 
med. )  ;  and  to  Damasus :  "Away  with  envy:  let  ambition  of  Roman 
grandeur  retire:  I  speak  to  the  successor  of  the  fisherman,  and  the 
disciple  of  the  Cross.  Following  no  chief  but  Christ,  I  am  united 
in  communion  with  your  Holiness,  that  is,  with  the  Chair  of  Peter : 
I  know  that  on  that  rock  is  built  the  Church.  Whoever  eats  the  lamb 
outside  this  house  is  profane:  whoever  is  not  in  the  ark  of  Noah 
shall  perish  in  the  flood"  (Epist.  57).  The  same  was  long  before 
proved  by  Irenaeus  (Adv.  Haeret.  Lib.  iii.  c,  3),  and  by  Cyprian 
(De  Simp.  Prael.  sub.  init, ),  who,  speaking  of  the  unity  of  the 
Church,  says:  "The  Lord  speaks  to  Peter,  'I  say  to  thee  Peter:  Thou 
art  Peter;  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church'  (Matt  xvi, 
18).  He  builds  the  Church  on  him  alone;  and  although  after  His 
resurrection.  He  gives  His  own  equal  power  to  all  the  Apostles,  saying 
'As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you.  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost'  (John  xx,  21,  sq.)  ;  yet,  to  display  unity,  He  disposed,  by  His 
own  authority,  the  origin  of  this  same  unity,  which  has  its  beginning 
from  one,"  &c.  Again  Optatus  of  Milevis  says :  "It  cannot  be 
ascribed  to  ignorance  on  your  part,  knowing  as  you  do,  that  the 
episcopal  Chair,  in  which  Peter,  the  head  of  all  the  Apostles,  sat, 
was  conferred  on  him  first  in  the  City  of  Rome;  that  in  him  alone 
the  unity  of  the  Chair  might  be  observed  by  all,  and  that  the  other 
Apostles  might  not  claim  each  a  chair  for  himself;  so  that  he,  who 
would  erect  another  in  opposition  to  this  single  Chair,  would  be  a 
schismatic  and  a  prevaricator"  (Lib.  2,  ad.  Parmen.  sub  init).  In 
the  next  place,  Basil  has  left  written  these  words :  "  Peter  was  placed 
in  the  foundation,  because  he  said:  'Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God,"  and  heard  in  reply  that  he  was  the  rock ;  for,  although 
he  was  a  rock,  yet  he  was  not  such  a  rock  as  Christ,  for  Christ  is 
truly  an  immovable  rock,  but  Peter,  only  by  virtue  of  that  rock. 
For  Christ  bestows  His  own  dignities  on  others:  He  is  a  priest,  and 
He  makes  priests ;  He  is  a  rock,  and  He  makes  a  rock ;  and  what  are 
His  own  He  bestows  on  His  servants"  (Horn.  29).  Lastly.  St.  Ambrose 
says:  "For  great  are  the  gifts  of  God,  who  not  only  restored  to  us 
what  had  been  ours,  but  also  granted  us  what  are  His  own."  Then, 
after  a  few  words  he  proceeds:  "But  great  is  the  favour  of  Christ, 
who  bestowed  on  His  disciples  almost  all  His  own  titles.  'I  am,'  savs 
He,  'the  light  of  the  world'  (John  viii,  12)  ;  and  yet  with  this  title 
in  which  He  Himself  glories,  He  favoured  His  disciples  saying  'You 
are  the  light  of  the  world'   (Matt,  v,  15)  ;  'T  am  the  living  bread' 


THE  POPE  145 

(John  vi,  41)  ;  and,  'we  are  all  one  bread;  I  am  the  true  vine,'  (John 
XV,  i)  ;  and  to  tliee  He  says:  'I  planted  thee  a  fruitful  vineyard  all 
true.'  'Christ  is  a  rock,  for  they  drank  of  the  spiritual  reck  that 
followed  them,  and  the  rock  was  Christ'  (i  Cor.  x,  4)  ;  and  yet  the 
favour  of  this  title  He  denied  not  to  His  disciple,  that  he  also  should 
be  Peter"  (Matt,  xvi,  18),  because  deriving  from  the  rock  the  solidity 
of  constancy  and  the  firmness  of  faith. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

Should  any  one  object  that  the  Church,  content  with  one  head 
and  spouse,  Jesus  Christ,  requires  no  other  beside,  the  answer  is  at 
hand;  for,  as  we  have  in  Chirst  the  Lord  not  only  the  Author  of  all 
the  Sacraments,  but  also  their  inward  minister  (for  He  it  is  that  bap- 
tizes, and  that  absolves;  and  yet  He  institutes  men  the  external  minis- 
ters of  the  Sacraments)  ;  so  has  He  placed  over  His  Church,  which  He 
governs  by  His  inward  spirit  a  man  to  be  the  vicar  and  minister  of 
His  power;  for,  as  a  visible  Church  requires  a  visible  head,  so  our 
Saviour  appointed  Peter  head  and  pastor  of  the  faithful  of  every 
sort,  when  in  the  most  ample  terms.  He  committed  to  Him  His  sheeo 
to  be  fed  (  lohn  xxi,  15),  so  that  He  wished  His  successor  to  have  the 
very  same  power  of  ruling  and  governing  the  whole  Church. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  PAPACY  AND  THE  NATIONS 

But  for  the  Papacy  the  Middle  Ages  would  have  fallen  a  prey  to 
barbarity.  Even  in  our  day  the  liberty  of  nations  would  be  threatened 
with  greatest  danger  if  there  were  no  Papacy.  It  is  the  most  cfifective 
counterpoise  to  an  omnipotent  power  of  the  state.  H  it  did  not  exist, 
it  would  have  to  be  invented. — Hiiblcr  (Non-Cath.). 

THE  PAPACY  AND   CIVILIZATION 

Napoleon  is  credited  with  saying  that,  if  the  papacy  did  not  exist, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  invent  it.  It  may  safely  be  taken  for 
granted  that  neither  faith  nor  piety  prompted  this  utterance.  It  was 
simply  that,  with  his  profound  knowledge  of  men  and  his  common 
sense,  acute  to  the  point  of  genius,  he  saw  for  the  spiritual  world, 
in  the  absence  of  a  head  to  rule  and  teach,  spiritual  anarchy  and 
the  destruction  of  the  religious  idea  among  civilized  peoples — results 
than  which  nothing  more  appalling  for  the  human  race  can  be 
imagined. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

A  PROTESTANT'S  VIEW  OF  THE  POPE'S  INBXUENCE  UPON  CIVILIZ.\TION 

That  an  astonishing  proficiency  in  the  improvement  of  the  human 
intellect  was  made  during  the  pontificate  of  Leo  X  is  universally 
allowed.  That  such  proficiency  is  principally  to  be  attributed  to  the 
exertions  of  that  pontiff,  will  now  perhaps  be  thought  equally  in- 
disputable. Of  the  predominating  influence  of  a  powerful,  and  accom- 
plished, and  fortunate  individual,  on  the  character  and  manners  of  the 
age,  the  history  of  mankind  furnishes  innumerable  instances;  and 
happy  it  is  for  the  world,  when  the  pursuits  of  such  individuals,  in- 


146    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

stead  of  being  devoted,  through  blind  ambition,  to  the  subjugation 
or  destruction  of  the  human  race,  are  directed  toward  those  bene- 
ficient  and  generous  ends,  which,  amid  all  his  avocations,  Leo  the 
Tenth  appears  to  have  kept  continually  in  view. 

— (William  Roscoe,  Life  and  Pontificate  of  Leo  X.) 

NOX-CATHOriC  OPIXION  ABOUT  A  POPE 

Of  Benedict  XIV  Ranke  says:  "It  is  well  known  how  little 
Benedict  XIV  suffered  himself  to  be  dazzled  by  the  elevation  of  his 
dignity"  (History  of  the  Popes)  ;  and  Voltaire  called  him  "the  pride 
of  Rome,  the  father  of  the  world,  who  teaches  that  world  by  his 
writings,  and  honours  it  by  his  virtues."  It  is  said,  that  when  Sir 
Horace  Walpole  was  presented  to  him  and  refused  to  kneel,  Benedict 
said,  in  his  captivating  manner,  "Kneel  down,  my  son;  receive  the 
blessing  of  an  old  man;  it  will  do  you  no  harm!"  upon  which  the 
young  traveler  with  tears  in  his  eyes  immediately  fell  on  his 
knees. 

DEFINITION  OF  FATAL,  INFAI.LIBIIJTY 

The  Vatican  Council  has  in  clear  terms  defined  what  is  meant  by 
Papal  Infallibility.  "We  declare  and  define  .  .  .  that  the  Roman 
Pontiff,  when  he  speaks  ex  cathedra,  that  is,  when,  exercising  his 
office  as  pastor  and  teacher  of  all  Christians,  by  virtue  of  his  supreme 
Apostolic  authority,  he  defines  a  doctrine  concerning  faith  or  morals 
as  to  be  held  by  the  whole  Church,  then,  by  the  Divine  assistance, 
promised  to  him  in  the  person  of  the  Blessed  Peter,  he  enjoys  that 
same  infallibility.  .  .  .  with  which  the  Divine  Redeemer  willed 
His  Church  to  be  endowed." 

Infallibility,  then,  is  not  the  same  thing  as  inspiration.  It  belongs 
to  the  Church  and  the  Pope  in  virtue  of  a  "Divine  assistance,"  guard- 
ing from  error  in  the  teaching  and  the  exposition  of  the  body  of  truth 
once  delivered  to  the  Saints.  It  does  not  apply  to  any  and  every 
act  of  Pope  or  Church;  but  to  teaching  concerning  faith  and  morals; 
finally,  it  applies,  according  to  the  words  of  the  sacred  Council, 
when  a  doctrine  is  taught  as  binding  the  universal  Church — when 
the  Pope  is  exercising  his  office  as  pastor  and  teacher  of  all 
Christians. 

If  people  would  only  study  the  Church's  own  presentment  of  her 
own  doctrines,  instead  of  taking  the  caricatures  of  them  so  often  put 
before  the  mind  of  man,  they  would  find  them  to  be  much  more 
reasonable  than  they  had  ever  supposed.  So  it  is  with  this  doctrine 
of  infallibility.  It  is  not  that  tremendous  assumption  which  it  is 
often  to  be :  it  does  not  confer  upon  him,  whose  prerogative  it 
is,  either  sinlessness  or  freedom  from  liability  to  error  in  everything 
he  may  speak  about,  nor  on  every  occasion  on  which  he  may  speak. 
It  is  simply  the  power  to  do  that  which  we  should  have  expected 
Our  Divine  Lord  to  have  provided  for — to  hand  down  from  age  to 
age,  unsullied  and  pure,  to  expound  correctly  and  interpret  rightly, 
the  truth  that  makes  us  free,  the  truth  upon  which  our  salvation 
depends,  and  that  we  must  drink,  if  we  drink  at  all,  from  an 
unpolluted  channel,  through  which  no  poison  of  error  can  reach  our 
immortal  souls. — H.  G.  Hughes. 


THE  POPE  147 


PAPAL  INFALLIBILITY 

Peter  is  to  hold  the  keys.  This,  in  nearly  every  civilized  time 
and  country,  has  ever  signified  the  possession  of  supreme  command. 
What  Peter  binds  and  looses  on  earth,  what  he  commands  or 
forbids,  all  his  acts  of  authority,  his  decisions,  his  rulings,  his  govern- 
ment in  general,  are  to  be  ratified  and  confirmed  by  God.  "The 
Jewish  way  of  using  the  words  binding  and  loosing  for  'to  prohibit' 
and  'to  permit',"  honestly  admits  the  Protestant  Dean  Alford, 
"would  make  the  binding  and  loosing  belong  to  the  poivcr  of 
legislation  in  the  Church"  {Greek  Testament,  abridged  ed.,  in  loco). 

Do  you  think  that  Almighty  God  would  give  such  powers  as  this 
to  any  man — would  bind  Himself  to  confirm  all  that  man's  official 
acts,  and  yet  so  leave  that  man  zuithont  Divine  guidance,  that  he 
might  go  astray  and  make  mistakes  in  the  exercise  of  his  office? 
Would  not  God,  by  so  acting,  be  engaging  Himself  to  the  ratification 
of  error  ?  You  must  answer :  assuredly  He  would.  But  that  God  can 
not  do. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

Jesus  coming  spoke  to  them,  saying:  All  power  is  given  to  Me 
in  Heaven  and  in  earth. — Going  therefore  teach  ye  all  nations:  baptis- 
ing thcni  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost, — Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you:  and  behold  I  am  zvith  you  all  days,  even  to 
the  consummation  of  the  world. — Matt.  XXVHI,  18-20. 

//  he  will  not  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen 
and  publican. — Matt.  XVHI,   17. 

WHAT  PAPAL  INFALLIBILITY  DOES  NOT  MEAN 

The  infallibility  of  the  Pope  does  not  mean  that  he  cannot  sin ; 
it  does  not  mean  that  he  cannot  err  in  matters  of  science ;  it  does 
not  mean  that  he  cannot  err  in  political  matters ;  it  does  not  mean 
that  he  cannot  err  in  his  personal  theological  views ;  it  does  not  mean 
that  he  cannot  err  in  his  private  utterances  relating  to  faith  or 
morals;  it  does  not  mean  that  he  cannot  err  in  his  personal  decisions; 
it  does  not  mean  that  he  cannot  err  in  his  measures  concerning  the 
discipline  and  practice  of  the  Church,  for  example:  sanctioning  or 
dissolving  an  Order,  precepts  of  worship,  ecclesiastical  rules,  etc. 

He  that  will  be  proud,  and  refuse  to  obey  the  commandment  of 
the  Priest,  who  ministereth  at  that  time  to  the  Lord  thy  God,  and 
the  decree  of  the  judge,  that  man  shall  die,  and  thou  shall  take  away 
the  evil  from  Israel. — Deut.  XVH,  12. 

When  there  shall  be  a  controversy  the  priests  shall  stand  in  My 
judgments  and  shall  judge. — They  shall  keep  My  law  and  My 
ordinances  in  all  My  solemnities  and  sanctify  My  Sabbaths. 

—Ez.  XLIV.  24. 

The  great  Fenelon,  proceeding  to  his  pulpit  in  the  cathedral  of 
Cambrai,  on  Annunciation  day  in   1699,  was  handed  by  his  brother 


148    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  Roman  brief  condemning  twenty-three  propositions  of  his 
Maxlmcs  dcs  Saints.  The  Bishop  took  the  writing,  cahnly  ascended 
the  pulpit  and  announced  it  forthwith,  then  preached  a  sermon  on 
the  submission  due  to  ecclesiastical  superiors,  at  which  the  whole 
congregation  was  greatly  moved.  A  few  days  later  he  announced  in 
an  episcopal  letter  to  his  diocese  his  submission,  "simple,  absolute, 
and  without  a  shadow  of  reservation."  By  this  deed,  an  heroic  act 
of  obedience,  Fenelon  is  placed  higher  in  history  than  by  his  brilliant 
works. 

The  difference  between  the  Protestant  and  the  Catholic  manner 
of  reasoning  is  stated  by  the  convert,  Prof.  A.  von  Ruville,  as 
follows : 

My  mind  had  harboured  up  to  now  the  characteristically  Pro- 
testant thought  that  I,  from  my  superior  mental  standpoint,  was 
going  to  probe  the  Catholic  Church,  that  I  was  going  to  pass  an 
infallible  judgment  on  her  truth  or  untruth,  and  this  in  spite  of 
my  being  ready  to  acknowledge  the  truth  in  her.  But  now  I  became 
more  and  more  conscious  of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  Church  who 
had  a  right  to  pass  judgment  on  me,  that  I  had  to  bow  to  her  opinion, 
that  she  immeasurably  surpassed  me  in  wisdom.  Many  details,  which 
I  was  inclined  to  criticize,  demonstrated  this  to  me,  for  in  every 
instance  I  recognized  that  it  was  my  understanding  that  was  at 
fault,  and  that  what  appeared  to  me  as  an  imperfection  was  rooted 
in  the  deepest  truth.  In  this  way  I  was  gradually  brought  to  the 
real  Catholic  standpoint,  to  accept  the  doctrines  immediately  as 
Truth,  because  they  proceeded  from  the  Church,  and  then  to 
endeavour  to  understand  them  thoroughly,  and  to  reap  from  them 
the  fullest  possible  harvest  of  Truth.  Formerly,  with  regard  to 
Protestant  doctrines,  I  always  retained  my  independence  and  the 
sovereignty  of  my  judgment.  Why  should  I  not  have  had  my  own 
opinion,  when  every  denomination  and  every  theologian  had  an 
individual  opinion?  How  different  with  the  Catholic  Church.  Before 
her  sublime,  never  varying  wisdom,  as  it  is  proclaimed  by  every 
simple  priest,  I  bowed  my  knees  in  humility.  Compared  to  her 
experience  of  two  thousand  years  my  ephemeral  knowledge  was  a 
mere  nothing. — (Back  to  Holy  Church.) 

Immediate,  implicit  submission  of  the  mind  was,  in  the  lifetime 
of  the  Apostles,  the  only,  the  necessary  token  of  faith ;  then  there 
was  no  room  whatever  for  what  is  now  called  private  judgment.  No 
one  could  say:  "I  will  choose  my  religion  for  myself,  I  will  believe 
this,  I  will  not  believe  that;  I  will  pledge  myself  to  nothing;  I  will 
believe  just  as  long  as  I  please,  and  no  longer;  what  I  believe  to-day 
1  will  reject  to-morrow,  if  I  choose.  I  will  believe  what  the  Apostles 
have  as  yet  said,  but  I  will  not  believe  what  they  shall  say  in  time 
to  come."  No ;  either  the  Apostles  were  from  God,  or  they  were 
not;  if  they  were,  everything  that  they  preached  was  to  be  believed 
by  their  hearers;  if  they  were  not,  there  was  nothing  for  their 
hearers  to  believe.  To  believe  a  little,  to  believe  more  or  less,  was 
impossible;  it  contradicted  the  very  notion  of  believing:  if  one  part 
was  to  be  believed,  every  part  was  to  be  believed;  it  was  an  absurdity 


THE  COMMANDMENTS  149 

to  believe  one  thing  and  not  another;  for  the  word  of  the  Apostles, 
which  made  the  one  true,  made  the  other  true,  too;  they  were  nothing 
in  themselves,  they  were  all  things,  they  were  an  infallible  authority 
as  coming  fron»  God.  The  world  had  either  to  become  Christian, 
or  to  let  it  alone;  there  was  no  room  for  private  tastes  and  fancies, 
no  room  for  private  judgment. — Cardinal  Newman. 


THE   COMMANDMENTS 

TUE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS 

The  Ten  Commandments  are  the  essence  and  expression  of  the 
natural  law  imposed  by  the  Almighty  and  All-wise  Creator  to  govern 
and  regulate  the  conduct  of  man  in  accordance  with  his  nature,  his 
obligations,  his  final  end.  They  are  also  the  rule  of  all  human  actions, 
of  all  human  laws.  Civil  laws,  the  precepts  of  parents,  of  superiors, 
that  do  not  conform  to  the  Ten  Commandments,  are  unjust,  can 
impose  no  obligation,  must  not  be  obeyed,  for,  as  the  Apostles  rightly 
said:  "We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  men"  (Acts  v,  29).  When 
there  is  a  doubt  as  to  the  justice  of  human  laws,  of  human  commands, 
the  Church  is  Divinely  empowered  to  decide  whether  they  may  be 
lawfully  obeyed,  and  her  decisions  in  such  matters  are  binding  on 
the  conscience  of  every  one. — F.  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

I  will  meditate  on  Thy  Commandments,  and  I  will  consider  Thy 
ways. — /  will  think  of  Thy  justifications:  I  will  not  forget  Thy 
words.— Ps.  CXVII,  15-16. 

Not  every  one  that  saith  to  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven:  hut  he  that  doth  the  will  of  My  Father,  who  is 
in  Heaven,  he  shall  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

—Matt.  VII,  21. 

Submit  thyself  then  to  Him,  and  be  at  peace:  and  thereby  thou 
shalt  have  the  best  fruits. — Receive  the  Law  of  His  mouth,  and  lay 
up  His  words  in  thy  heart. — Job  XXII,  21-22. 

If  thou  wilt  enter  into  Life,  keep  the  Commandments. 

—Matt.  XIX,  17. 

He  who  saith  that  he  knozvcth  Him.  and  keepeth  not  His  Com- 
mandments, is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him. — I.  John  II,  4. 

Let  us  all  hear  together  the  conclusion  of  the  discourse:  Fear  God 
and  keep  His  Commandments:  for  this  is  all  man. — Eccl.  XII,  13. 

The  keeping  of  her  laws  is  the  firm  foundation  of  incorruption; — 
And  incorruption  bringeth  near  to  God. — IVisd.  VI,  19-20. 

This  is  the  charity  of  God,  that  we  keep  His  Commandments  and 
His  Commandments  are  not  heavy. — I.  John  V,  3. 


150    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

If  thou  wilt  keep  the  Commandments  and  perform  acceptable 
fidelity  for  ever,  they  shall  preserve  thee. — Ecclus.  XY,  i6. 

THE  COMMANDMENTS  AN  OBSTACLE  TO  MiVNY 

Many  persons  pretend  that  the  Commandments  are  too  difficult  to 
keep.  Not  a  few  refuse  to  believe  in  the  Catholic  religion,  not  so 
much,  in  truth,  on  account  of  its  mysteries,  as  on  account  of  the 
obligation  of  keeping  the  Commandments ;  were  the  Church  to  allow 
them  to  act  as  they  like  and  to  dispense  them  from  the  observance  of 
the  Commandments,  they  would  most  readily  accept  all  her  doctrines 
and  become  Catholics.  But  this  the  Church  neither  will  nor  may  do, 
hence  they  never  become  Catholics.  In  like  manner  some  fallen-away 
Catholics  try  to  justify  their  course  under  the  plea  that  they  can  no 
longer  believe  the  doctrines  they  so  willingly  believed  so  long  as 
they  kept  the  Commandments  and  practiced  their  religion;  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  real  reason  of  their  giving  up  the  Faith  is  that  they 
fear  the  Commandments  and  the  obligation  of  confessing,  combating 
and  overcoming  their  weakness  in  yielding  to  their  passions  and  trans- 
gressing the  Commandments.  They  prefer  giving  up  their  Faith  to 
giving  up  their  passions ! — F.  Girardcy,  C.SS.R. 

CONSCIENCE  AND  C03I3IANDMENTS 

There  is  a  conscience  in  man  that  bears  witness  to  a  higher  law 
of  justice  and  goodness,  a  law  superior  to  mere  expediency,  or  caprice, 
or  the  power  which  springs  from  brute  force. — Bishop  Bellord. 

CONSCIENCE  MUST  BE  GUIDED 

But  noble  and  sublime  as  is  conscience,  it  must  itself  be  guided 
and  directed.  Look  at  a  ship  out  upon  the  waste  of  waters.  Whither 
is  it  sailing?  How  shall  it  reach  its  goal?  What  is  there  to  guide 
it?  The  mariner  will  point  to  the  compass.  There,  the  little  needle 
tells  him  how  to  direct  his  vessel.  But  there  is  a  power  beyond,  that 
guides  the  needle,  that  causes  it  to  point  unerringly  to  the  north.  If 
other  influences  are  allowed  to  interfere,  to  deflect  the  needle,  then 
the  compass  is  useless.  It  is  no  longer  a  trust-worthy  guide.  We 
are  mariners  upon  the  sea  of  life.  Conscience  is  the  needle  that 
points  out  to  us  the  way.  But  there  is  a  power  which  guides  the 
conscience.  That  power  is  Truth.  Our  conscience  is  guided  by  our 
intellect.  We  must  therefore  know  the  truth  before  we  can  put  our 
trust  in  the  dictates  of  conscience.  In  other  words,  to  act,  we  must 
have  a  knowledge  of  the  truth;  to  do,  we  must  have  for  our  guide 
the  principles  of  truth. — Thomas  F.  Burke.  C.  S.  P. 

CONSCIENCE  NOT  rNFALLIBLE 

Conscience  is  not  infallible,  and  it  is  a  reliable  guide  only  if 
correctly  informed.  A  man  with  a  false  conscience  may  commit 
crimes  and  consider  himself  righteous  in  committing  them.  St.  Paul 
was  as  zealous  in  following  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  before  his 
conversion  as  after,  and  he  sincerely  believed  that  he  was  acting 
rightly  in  the  relentless  persecution  of  the  Christians.  It  is  therefore 
not  true  if  people  say  their  conscience,  even  without  the  Faith  and 
without  the  commandments,  enables  them  to  lead  a  righteous  life. 


THE  COMMANDMENTS  161 

THB  VOICE  OF  CONSCIENCE 

The  voice  of  conscience  is  the  voice  of  God;  for  it  is  God,  the 
source,  the  author,  nay  the  very  essence  of  the  moral  law  of  right 
and  wrong,  who  has  given  to  man  his  reason  whereby  he  can 
recognize  good  and  evil,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  obligation  of  doing 
good  and  shunning  evil.  So  strongly  and  deeply  is  this  sentiment 
rooted  in  the  being  of  man,  that  it  is  vain  for  us  to  endeavour  to  oblit- 
erate it.  A  man  may  blunt  his  conscience,  may  become  hardened,  may 
adopt  an  agnostic  attitude,  and  look  upon  the  moral  and  ethical  teach- 
ing which  is  founded  upon  the  universal  voice  of  conscience  as  purely 
an  invention  of  human  philosophy ;  but  it  may  safely  be  said  that 
no  man  wholly  succeeds  in  this;  in  his  heart  of  hearts  the  worst 
and  the  most  hardened  will  retain — he  can  not  help  it — that  dis- 
tinction between  what  is  indubitably  right  and  what  is  wrong,  which  is 
founded  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  because  founded  in  God  Him- 
self. A  famous  writer  of  our  day  has  composed  a  fantastic  romance, 
in  which,  under  the  guise  of  strange  and  incredible  adventures,  he 
holds  up  to  well-served  irony  certain  dangerous  teachings  and  tenden- 
cies of  the  modern  world,  and  utters  many  a  pregnant  and  r.ncient 
truth.  One  of  his  characters — a  young  man — is  brought  into  close 
connection  with  a  supposed  dynamiter,  one  of  those  pests  of  humanity 
v/ho  seek  to  gain  their  ends  by  the  indiscriminating  slaughter  of  their 
fellows.  The  young  man  is  a  professed  agnostic.  He  boasts  himself 
a  total  disbeliever,  not  only  in  revealed  religion,  but  in  the  data, 
methods,  and  conclusions  of  the  whole  of  ethics.  Yet,  when  it  came 
to  dynamite,  he  found  that  he  had  got  a  conscience  after  all.  He 
recognized  something  that  was  indubitably  wrong  and  horrible  from 
the  moral  point  of  view.  And  in  the  worst  of  men,  however  they 
may  have  overlaid  their  consciences,  the  still  small  voice  will  be 
heard  at  times,  bearing  witness  to  the  fact  that,  in  spite  of  all  their 
reckless  disregard  or  sophistical  theorizing,  the  moral  law  exists, 
supreme,  binding,  unassailable. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

OUTSIDE  THE  CHURCH 

THE  REFORMATION 

Although  the  causes  of  the  Reformation  have  been  variously 
given,  it  is  agreed  by  all  that  the  principal  one  was  that  which  goes 
by  the  general  name  of  "private  judgment."  Religion,  it  was  main- 
tained, was  a  matter  about  which  each  individual  was  competent  to 
arrive  at  the  truth  by  his  own  unaided  reason.  Everyone  should 
read  the  Scripture  for  himself.  Everyone  was  capable  of  drawing 
the  proper  conclusion  from  its  pages.  The  plowman  at  the  plow; 
the  weaver  at  his  shuttle;  the  smith  at  his  forge;  the  housewife  at 
her  spinning  wheel,  were  all  endowed  with  a  mind  to  discriminate, 
and  an  intelligence  to  form  an  unerring  judgment  on  spiritual 
things. 

In  vain  did  the  Church  point  out  the  extreme  danger  of  such 
opinions.  Private  judgment  had  its  way.  Sacred  Scripture  was  read, 
discussed,  disputed  about,  as  a  celebrated  English  historian  tells  us, 
in  every  beer  house  and  tavern.     There  was  no  subject  howsoever 


152    ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRCCTIONS 

holy,  which  did  not  become  the  topic  of  conversation,  often  ending 
in  high  words,  often  the  cause  of  life-long  contention,  and  always 
having,  as  its  ultimate  result,  the  one  of  making  confusion  more 
confusing.  The  astonishing  part  of  the  whole  matter  is  that  not 
even  the  wisest  of  the  disputants  would  have  laid  claim  to  the 
power  of  passing  a  judgment  in  any  other  branch  of  knowledge. 
They  would  readily  b.ave  granted  that  not  they,  but  the  astronomer, 
the  man  who  had  devoted  his  life  to  the  study  of  the  subject,  was 
alone  able  to  approach  somewhere  near  to  the  truth  about  the 
movement  of  the  stars.  The  explanation,  the  meaning  of  the  laws 
of  the  land,  they  willingly  left  to  the  lawyer  and  the  judge.  They 
did  not  pretend  to  know  each  man  his  neighbour's  trade  and  profession 
better  than  he  knew  it  himself;  and  they  would  have  treated  with 
ridicule  the  assertion  that  a  mechanic  from  a  town  must  know  more 
about  agriculture  than  the  farmer  in  the  country.  Only  in  religious 
affairs  did  they  consider  themselves  better  qualified  to  judge  than 
a  Church  which  had  been  engaged  in  the  work  for  over  fifteen 
hundred  years.  In  that  one  matter,  of  all  others  so  difficult,  so 
mysterious,  teeming,  so  to  speak,  with  so  many  deep  and  unfathom- 
able truths,  they  gravely  asserted  that  everything  could  be  certainly 
and  surely  known  by  the  mere  perusal  of  the  Scripture  itself. 

— John  Fredand. 

THE  FKUITS  OF  THE  KEFOKMATION 

And  this  is  the  issue  of  three  centuries  of  a  boasted  reformation, 
working  with  its  eyes  of  intelligence  and  its  hands  of  power.  There 
have  been  agencies  beyond  number  of  operation ;  Bibles  circulated 
by  millions  and  thrust  into  every  hand,  physical  progress  unex- 
ampled in  its  wide  sweep,  a  fierce  straining  after  a  long  expected 
human  perfection ;  license,  called  liberty,  such  as  the  world  never 
saw  before ;  liberty  of  thought  and  action,  liberty  of  speech,  liberty 
of  the  press;  the  people's  will  proclaimed  as  supreme  law,  independent 
of  all  others,  and  all  others  dependent  on  it ;  the  open  repudiation 
of  everything  supernatural  and  the  severance  of  all  social  relations 
from  contact  with  its  ideas  and  from  subjection  to  its  influence; 
governments  ruling  without  reference  to  the  law  of  God ;  Parlia- 
ments legislating  not  in  accordance  with  Christian  morality,  but  in 
accordance  with  the  new  philosophy,  and  from  all  these  sources, 
growing  and  expanding  since  the  Reformation,  has  come  the  hard, 
black  issue — the  doctrine  which  formulates  the  practical  belief  of 
the  world — no  God,  no  human  soul ;  man  sprung  originally  from  a 
beast,  still  a  beast,  to  live  a  beast,  to  die  a  beast,  and  be  no  more. 
It  is  enough  to  make  any  heart  that  loves  God,  sick  unto  death  to 
contemplate  such  a  wreck  of  man's  highest,  holiest  beliefs;  it  is 
enough  to  make  us  wish  that  God  would  free  us  by  death  from 
the  mad,  appalling  blasphemies  that  are  circulated  in  the  world 
around  us  as  freely  as  the  news  of  the  day. — P.  A.  Sheehan. 

LACK  OF   UNITY  IN   PROTESTANTISM 

Consider  the  Anglican  Establishment.  Everything  there  tends 
to  make  unity  easy.  The  members  of  that  National  Ciiurch  are 
almost  all  of  one  race.  They  all  possess  the  same  language,  and 
live  under  the  same  form  of  government.     They  are  already  bound 


OUTSIDE  THE  CHURCH  168 

together  by  a  thousand  bonds.  The  sovereign  is  the  head  of  the 
Church  and  of  the  nation  the  bishops  are  all  state  officials,  re- 
ceiving from  five  to  fifteen  thousand  pounds  a  year  from  the 
government,  and  the  clergy,  for  the  most  part,  come  from  the 
same  public  schools  and  are  brought  up  in  the  same  vv^ay.  To  any 
observer  it  would  seem  that  everything  here  made  for  unity.  The 
British  Church  ought  to  be  as  united  as  the  British  Army  or  the 
British  Navy,  since  it  is  quite  as  national,  quite  as  insular,  and  quite 
as  truly  British. 

But,  what  do  we  find?  Not  unity,  but  endless  divisions.  The 
Church  of  England  is  broken  up  into  High  Church,  and  Low  Church, 
and  Broad  Church.  And  each  of  these  three  divisions  are  subdivided 
in  countless  further  divisions  and  subdivisions.  Not  only  the  laity, 
but  the  clergy,  and  even  the  bishops  are  absolutely  disagreed  on  the 
most  vital  points  of  doctrine,  and  will  give  a  diametrically  opposite 
interpretation   to   the   selfsame   text   of   Holy   Scripture. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

TRUTH  AND  INTOLERANCE 

Phillips  Brooks  (Non-Cath.)  in  his  lecture  on  tolerance,  tells  of  a 
boy  of  whom  the  stranger  asked  the  way  to  Farmington.  "It  is  eight 
miles,"  the  boy  replied.  "Are  you  sure  that  it  is  so  far  as  that?" 
the  weary  traveler  asked.  The  boy,  with  his  big  heart  over-running 
with  the  milk  of  human  kindness  looked  at  him  and  replied:  "Well, 
seeing  you  are  pretty  tired,  I  will  call  it  seven  miles." 

How  much  of  would-be  tolerance  is  sounded  in  our  ears  like  that ! 
There  can  be  no  tolerance  of  error.  No  weak  sentiment  can  obtain 
at  the  expense  of  truth. 

THE  CHURCH  TOLERANT 

It  was  reserved  to  Maryland,  founded  by  a  Roman  Catholic,  to 
be  the  first  American  colony,  perhaps  the  first  of  Christian  States, 
in  which  all  Christian  sects  were  not  merely  tolerated,  but  cordially 
welcomed. — Poultney  Bigelow  (Non-Cath.)  in  The  Children  of  the 
Nations. 

THE  CHURCH  INTOLERANT? 

They  have  branded  her  as  intolerant  when  she  was  only  faithful, 
they  have  stigmatized  her  as  relentless  when  she  was  only  true  to 
the  sacredness  of  her  charge.  Because  she  condemned  the  book, 
no  matter  who  wrote  it,  the  book  which  breathed  the  venom  of 
infidelity,  they  called  her  an  enemy  of  letters;  because  she  repudiated 
the  theory  which  was  in  germ  a  heresy,  they  styled  her  the  foe  of 
science ;  because  she  anathematized  a  principle  which  led  to  revolution 
and  anarchy  they  named  her  the  antagonist  of  civilization.  She 
has  suffered  everything  in  promoting  the  spiritual,  aye,  and  the 
temporal  well  being  of  the  race.  She  has  been  a  martyr  to  her 
mission  and  her  duty.  Yet  she  is  an  intolerant,  a  bigoted,  an 
uncompromising  institution,  and  her  light  is  darkness,  and  her  zeal  is 
ambition,  and  her  love  is  cruelty,  and  she  deserves  not  a  footplace 
among  the  habitations  of  men.  When  they  cry  out  against  her 
intolerance  they  hardly  know  the  meaning  of  their  clamour.  In  one 
way  their  reproach  is  her  glory.     Yes,  she  is  intolerant,  yes,  there 


164    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

are  things  she  will  not  abide.  She  will  not  tolerate  error;  she  will 
not  tolerate  atheism  or  infidelity,  or  any  of  the  views  which  aim 
at  the  destruction  of  all  religion,  of  all  morality,  of  all  civilization. 
All  the  truths  of  God  she  must  uphold.  All  the  sacred  rights  of 
men  she  will  declare  and  fight  for.  She  believes  in  liberty,  but  she 
is  intolerant  of  license.  She  believes  in  fraternity  but  not  in 
communism.  She  believes  in  equality  of  all  men  before  God,  but 
she  respects  the  conditions  in  which  the  race  finds  itself.  She  will 
stand  up  for  all  rightful  possessions.  She  will  not  brook  injustice, 
oppression,  or  slavery.  Poor  and  rich  are  alike  to  her,  but  woe  to 
the  capitalist  who  defrauds  the  labourer  of  his  wages,  and  woe  also 
to  the  labouring  man  who  rises  up  in  unjust  violence  against  his 
employer.  Yes,  the  Church  is  intolerant,  but  this  intolerance  is 
not  a  badge  of  shame,  but  a  crown  of  glory. — P.  A.  Halpin. 

CATHOLICS   MORE    TOLERA>'T   THAN   NON-CATHOLICS 

A  non-Catholic  contributor  to  The  London  Standard,  a  secular 
journal,  states:  "Clauses  disinheriting  beneficiaries  on  religious 
grounds  in  the  wills  of  Christians  are  invariably  directed  against 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  it  is  a  curious  and  somewhat 
noticeable  fact  that,  notwithstanding  the  general  feeling  that  intoler- 
ance and  Roman  Catholicism  are  somewhat  intimately  connected, 
there  has  not  yet  come  to  light  a  clause  in  the  will  of  a  Roman 
Catholic  disinheriting  any  of  his  or  her  children  who  shall  forsake 
that  Faith  or  shall  marry  one  out  of  the  Faith." 

INTOLERANCE  OF  NON-CATHOLICS 

Abraham  Lincoln,  writing  in  1855  to  an  old  friend.  Joshua  F. 
Speed,  said:  "When  the  Know-Nothings  get  control  it  (the  Consti- 
tution) will  read:  'AH  men  are  created  equal  except  Negroes  and 
foreigners  and  Catholics.'  When  it  comes  to  this  I  should  prefer 
emigrating  to  some  country  where  they  make  no  pretense  of  loving 
liberty — where  despotism  can  be  taken  pure  and  without  the  base 
alloy  of  hypocrisy." — Recollections  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  Ward 
Hill  Lamon. 

THE  INQUISITION 

We  must  consider  the  minds,  particularly  of  the  legislators,  of 
the  ages  when  it  was  in  use.  It  was  made  the  law  of  the  land  for 
the  avoidance  of  what  was  then  thought  serious  evils  to  the  common- 
wealth. Medieval  society  rested  upon  a  foundation  of  religion,  and 
that  religion  was  the  Catholic.  There  was  no  other.  It  had  become 
so  interwoven  with  the  society  of  that  time — with  its  habits,  its 
customs,  its  occasions  grave  and  gay,  its  business  and  its  amusements 
— that  religion  could  not  be  attacked  without  attacking  society,  and 
society,  in  defending  itself,  could  easily  be  made  to  appear  to  be 
defending  religion.  Much  the  same  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
modern  state  is  to  be  noticed  with  regard  to  the  Ten  Commandments. 
Some  of  these  Commandments  are  still  knit  with  the  moral  fiber 
of  Protestant  nations.  A  great  many  of  our  laws  are  based  upon 
them.  Any  infringement  of  them  is  resented  by  the  state,  not 
because  it  is  the  infringement  of  a  religious  law,  but  because  it  is 


OUTSIDE  THE  CHURCH  155 

that  of  a  state  enactment.  Future  ages  may  think  that  the  state 
is  wrong  in  this ;  but  we  can  hardly  imagine  that  any  future  age 
will  accuse  the  state  of  wanton  cruelty,  much  less  of  persecution, 
because  of  its  zeal  for  the  Ten  Commandments. 

In  a  similar  manner  did  the  Catholic  governments,  while  defend- 
ing themselves,  seem  to  be  defending  the  Church. — John  Frecland 

OUT  OF  THE  CHURCH  NO  SALVATION 

What  is  the  exact  meaning  of  the  maxim,  "Out  of  the  Church 
no  salvation?"  The  principle  of  it  is  admitted  by  all  men  who 
profess  any  form  of  religion.  It  means  generally,  that  there  are 
certain  conditions  of  salvation  imposed  by  Jesus  Christ ;  that  among 
those  conditions  is  a  law  of  belief  imposed  on  the  intellect  and 
a  certain  membership  with  the  body  of  Christ's  followers;  and 
that  these  conditions  bind  all  who  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
them. — Bishop  Bellord. 

Penalties  are  for  those  only  who  deliberately  disobey.  The  word, 
"Out  of  the  Church  no  salvation"  is  to  be  viewed  as  an  ordinary 
law.  It  is  said  of  ordinary  cases  and  not  of  exceptions.  It  is  not 
applicable  to  those  who  are  outside  the  scope  of  the  law.  It  takes 
no  account  of  those  to  whom  the  law  has  not  been  promulgated. 
Any  who  by  no  fault  of  their  own  are  outside  the  unity  of  the 
Catholic  Church  will  be  judged  by  another  law,  by  that  which  they 
do  know.  Penalties  are  not  for  the  ignorant,  but  for  the  disobedient; 
and  disobedience  resides  in  the  will,  and  not  in  external  circumstances 
which  are  beyond  one's  own  control.  The  accidents  of  birth  or 
education  can  not  be  imputed  to  any  one  for  blame.  A  person  is 
not  disobedient  because  he  has  been  born  outside  the  Catholic  Church ; 
he  is  not  in  rebellion  to  God  while,  knowing  nothing  of  the  religion 
founded  by  Jesus  Christ,  he  remains  in  a  false  one  which  he  honestly 
believes  to  be  true.  That  which  would  be  a  grievous  sin  in  an 
enlightened  man,  is  no  sin  to  him,  because,  on  our  supposition,  he 
is  not  morally  responsible  for  it.  "Out  of  the  Church  no  salvation," 
means  no  more  than  this,  that  those  who  know  sufficient  of  the 
Catholic  Church  to  recognize  or  suspect  her  Divine  authority  and 
the  obligation  they  are  under  of  submitting  to  her,  and  who  deliber- 
ately disregard  the  command  of  God,  are  guilty  of  a  mortal  sin, 
which  separates  them  from  God's  kingdom  on  earth,  and  will  cut 
them  off,  unless  repented  of,  from  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

I  meet  the  following  case  frequently  on  the  missions  to  non- 
Catholics.  A  Protestant  young  man  becomes  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  His  father  threatens  to  disinherit  him. 
His  mother  declares  it  will  break  her  heart  if  he  becomes  "a 
Romanist."  His  friends  laugh  at  him,  and  deem  him  mad,  as  Festus 
did  St.  Paul  (Acts  xxvi,  24).  His  sweetheart  threatens  to  leave 
him  forever.  It  is,  indeed,  hard  to  persevere  in  one's  pursuit  of  the 
truth  when  so  great  a  sacrifice  is  demanded.  And  yet,  conscience 
must  be  obeyed. 

Relations,  friends,  love  of  woman,  money — all  must  be  set  aside  to 


156    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

be  loyal  to  Christ,  who  plainly  said:  "Every  one  that  shall  confess 
me  before  men,  I  will  also  confess  him  before  my  Father  who  is  in 
Heaven.  But  he  that  shall  deny  ]\Ie  before  men,  I  will  also  deny 
him  before  My  Father  who  is  in  Heaven"  (Matt,  x,  32-33). 

— Bcrtrand  L.  Conway,  C.S.P. 

WRONG  IXTEKPRETATIOV  OF  "OCT  OF  THE  CITIRCH  NO  SALVATION" 

The  Catholic  doctrine  is  erroneously  assumed  to  be  as  follows: 
Every  one  who  is  not  visibly  and  externally  enrolled  in  the  Church 
and  who  dies  in  that  state,  is  lost  forever.  Christians  belonging  to 
all  the  different  sects  that  have  gone  off  from  the  one  true  Church, 
Jews,  Mohammedans,  Pagans  are  excluded  from  all  possibility  of 
salvation.  However  much  or  little  they  knew  of  Divine  revelation, 
however  good  tlie  lives  tlicy  lead,  however  they  may  have  corres- 
ponded with  grace  and  practiced  such  duties  as  they  knew,  not  one 
of  them  can  ever  be  saved.  We  are  supposed  to  hold  that  there  is 
no  virtue,  no  service  of  God,  no  grace,  outside  the  visible  boundary 
of  the  Church.  That  salvation  depends  on  a  more  external  circum- 
stance beyond  the  control  of  most  men,  on  account  of  birth,  education, 
character,  opportunities,  things  for  which  they  are  not  responsible. 
That  God,  therefore,  has  created  these  uncounted  millions  with  no 
other  possibility  before  them  than  to  be  punished  with  eternal 
torments. 

Such  a  doctrine  is  most  shocking  and  blasphemous,  it  is  revolting 
to  the  moral  sense  of  mankind;  and  this  is  what  is  attributed  to 
the  Catholic  Church.    But  this  is  no  part  of  the  Church's  teaching. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

A   CONDITION   OF  SALVATION 

From  these  various  considerations  we  learn  that,  with  regard  to 
membership  in  the  Church  as  one  of  the  conditions  of  salvation, 
there  are  two  alternatives,  viz.,  the  actual  visible  communion  with 
the  Church,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  the  completest  sincerity  in 
rejecting  it. — Bishop  Bellord. 

EVERY   RELIGION   CONTAINS   SOME   TRUTH 

In  every  form  of  religious  error  there  is  contained  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  truth.  The  fault  of  such  religions  is  not  that 
they  deny  all  truth,  but  that  they  have  corrupted  it  or  rejected 
portions  of  it.  They  possess  a  certain  amount  which  has  come  to 
them  from  authentic  sources,  from  primitive  tradition,  from  Judaism, 
or,  as  with  modern  sects,  from  the  Catholic  Church.  The  Christian 
heretics  mostly  teach  all  those  doctrines  that  must  be  explicitly 
believed;  and  their  members,  if,  as  is  often  the  case,  they  are 
validly  baptized,  are  thereby  ordinary  subjects  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
They  hold  Catholic  doctrine  almost  in  its  entirety;  they  have  received 
it,  although  indirectly,  from  that  Church  which  God  appointed  to 
teach  it;  they  believe  it  because  revealed  by  God.  Many  lead  lives 
of  admirable  devotion,  benevolence  and  strict  morality.  Supposing 
them  to  be  in  thorough  good  faith  they  will  be  saved  as  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  Orthodox  Jews  possess  all  that  was  essential 
to  salvation  in  past  ages.  They  have  all  that  was  revealed  up  to  a 
certain   date;    they   believe   in   the   Messiah,    though   they   know   not 


OUTSIDE  THE  CHURCH  157 

who  He  is.  They  are  distinguished  for  their  steadfast  fidelity  to 
their  law,  their  constancy  thronj^^h  centuries  of  contempt  and  perse- 
cution which  their  religion  has  brought  upon  them.  If,  as  may  well 
be,  any  are  ignorant  that  the  promises  have  been  taken  away  from 
Israel,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  they  may  fulfil  all  the  conditions 
of  salvation.  The  Mohammedans  have  ever  been  known  as,  by 
excellence,  the  "Infidels."  Yet  their  fanaticism  shows  their  sincerity; 
and  they,  if  any,  can  claim  the  excuse  of  invincible  ignorance. 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

CHARITY  TOW.\RDS  NOX-CATIIOLICS 

We  should  be  very  slow  to  judge  our  non-Catholic  neighbours. 
They  are,  of  course,  hopelessly  wrong.  Their  Sect  or  Denomination 
is  absolutely  false,  and  teaches  doctrines  contrary  to  God's  revealed 
truth.  Yet,  they  may  be  where  they  are  through  no  fault  of  their 
own.  Heresy  may  have  been  their  daily  food,  it  may  have  been 
drawn  in,  unconsciously,  and  as  it  were,  with  their  mother's  milk. 
They  may  have  always  breathed  the  atmosphere  of  Protestantism, 
and  have  grown  up  with  the  idea  of  their  own  self-sufficiency  and 
of  the  inalienable  right  of  every  man  to  the  full  exercise  of  his 
private  judgment.  In  a  word,  there  may  be  conditions,  so  numerous, 
so  varied,  so  unaccountable  in  their  force,  so  strange  in  their 
influence,  and  so  far-reaching  in  their  effects,  that  it  becomes 
impossible  for  any  living  soul  to  determine  how  far  a  non-Catholic 
is  responsible,  or  whether  he  be  responsible  at  all,  lor  not  accepting 
the  revealed  truth  in  all  its  integrity  and  submitting  to  the  Church. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

PREJUDICE  OF  PROTESTANTS 

Dean  Stanley  (Non-Cath.)  is  "convinced  that  Protestantism  in 
general  treats  Catholics  with  shameful  ignorance  and  unfairness." 

— Life  and  Letters. 

Would  to  God  that  Protestants,  instead  of  reading  and  hearing 
only  what  is  said  against  us,  would  hear  and  read  what  we  have  to 
say  for  ourselves.  These  early  prejudices,  this  "human  tradition" 
which  "they  have  received  to  hold,"  would  be  dispersed  like  the 
morning  mist  before  before  the  sun. — W.  Lockhart. 

BAD  CATHOLICS,  RATHER  THAN  GOOD,  ATTRACT  ATTENTION 

Bad  Catholics  are  accepted,  much  more  readily  than  good  ones, 
as  the  accredited  representatives  of  their  religion.  Evil  is  a  great 
deal  more  obtrusive  than  good.  Humility  always  cloaks  the  highest 
virtue.  The  majority  of  those  who  lead  the  most  Christ-like  lives, 
are,  by  the  very  conditions  of  the  highest  religious  life,  secluded 
from  the  gaze  of  mankind.  They  do  not  proclaim  their  good  deeds, 
and  as  for  their  personal  sanctity,  it  is  a  secret  hidden  in  their  hearts 
and  known  only  to  God.  But  evil  rises  to  the  surface ;  and  one 
man  of  scandalous  life  draws  more  attention  than  one  hundred 
patient  followers  of  the  Crucified. — Bishop  Bcllord. 

IGNORANCE  OF  PROTESTANTS  ABOUT  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

The  Rev.  J.  B.  Hemmeson,  a  Methodist  minister  of  Wolfville, 
N.  S.,  is  quoted  as  saying:  "It  is  a  strange  and  lamentable  fact  that 


158    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

not  one  Protestant  in  ten  thousand  knows  the  truth  about  the 
teaching  and  practice  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Many  do  not  know 
that  there  was  any  Christian  Church  from  the  first  or  second 
century  until  the  Reformation,  or  for  about  a  thousand  four  hundred 
years.  And  they  believe  that  there  was  then,  virtually,  a  new 
Revelation.  When  a  person  of  common  sense  wishes  to  obtain 
information  about  anything,  whether  political,  religious,  scientific,  or 
it  matters  not  what  it  may  be,  he  goes  to  headquarters  for  authentic 
information — never  to  those  who  seek  to  destroy,  or  who  are  the 
enemies  of  what  he  wishes  to  study.  Not  one  Protestant  in  thousands 
ever  seeks  information  concerning  the  Catholic  Church  from  Catholic 
sources.  Protestants  never  think  of  such  a  thing  as  reading  Catholic 
books  or  periodicals  or  anything  that  'smells  of  Rome.'  I  never  did; 
and  yet  I,  of  all  men,  am  not  a  bigot.  It  is  an  inborn  and  fostered 
prejudice  of  many  generations.  But  that  is  not  all.  Not  only  are 
Protestants  absolutely  ignorant  of  Catholic  teaching,  practice  and 
history,  but  they  generally  believe  a  distorted  caricature  and  call  it 
'Romanism'." 

lGNORA^'CE,  OB  HATRED  OF  TRUTH? 

Much  of  the  ignorance  about  the  Church  among  men  is  the 
result  of  moral  transgressions  which  make  the  soul  incapable  of 
seeing  the  truth.  A  great  deal  that  claims  to  be  sincere  ignorance  is 
sheer  hatred  of  the  truth.  Many  know  the  truth  and  will  not 
acknowledge  it.  Very  many  more  have  received  some  inkling  of  the 
truth;  some  of  them  yield  to  negligence  and  allow  themselves  to  be 
occupied  by  less  important  things ;  others  shrink  from  a  fuller  knowl- 
edge because  they  know  they  will  be  convinced ;  and  they  vainly 
suppose  that  a  deliberately  chosen  ignorance  will  shield  them  from 
the  responsibility  of  disobeying  the  voice  of  God. — Bishop  Bdlord. 

UNWELCOME  TRUTH  NOT  ACCEPTED 

There  is  abundant  reason  for  believing  that  great  numbers,  the 
majority  perhaps,  of  those  to  whom  an  unwelcome  truth  is  revealed, 
will  refuse  to  accept  it  and  prefer  falsehood.    It  is  easy  to  do  this. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

SLANDER  IS  NOT  PROOF 

Because  so  many  speak  against  the  Catholic  religion,  and  it  has 
been  given  a  bad  name,  that  is  no  proof  that  it  is  not  right.  The  Jews 
said  worse  of  the  early  Christians,  and  of  our  Lord  Himself. 

—JV.  Lockhart. 

THE  CREDULITY  OF  UNBELIEF 

They  talk  of  our  credulity,  who  believe  in  the  possibility  of 
miracles,  but  there  is  nothing  like  the  blank  credulity  of  unbelief. 
He  who  has  taken  in  the  character  of  Christ  and  the  idea  of  the 
Gospel  as  a  whole,  in  which  we  find  uniled  the  heavenly  exalt;ition 
of  a  God-Man  and  the  earthly  humiliations  of  a  crucified  God,  and 
attributes  this  to  man's  invention,  would  seem  to  have  attained  the 
acme  of  credulity;  but  what  shall  we  say  when  he  informs  us  that 
this  system  was  a  great  success,  and  became  the  religion  of  the 
world  without  miracles,  or  else  that  it  is  the  holiest  system  which 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS  159 

the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  the  exhaustive  effort  of  human  genius, 
but  that  its  founders  were  cither  mad  fanatics  or  conscious  impostors, 
or  a  mixture  of  both,  but  that  all  alike,  deceivers  and  deceived, 
suffered  and  died  for  a  lie  or  an  imposture?  And  they  did  this 
willingly  and  must  have  known  beforehand  that  such  must  certainly 
be  their  fate,  since  they  set  themselves  to  oppose  the  fiercest  passions 
and  prejudices  of  human  nature  and  of  religious  fanaticism:  whereas 
they  could  have  had  no  means  of  knowing  that  their  cause  would 
survive  them.  Certainly,  we  are  forced  to  say  that  those  who  can 
believe  this  have  indeed  turned  away  their  minds  from  truth  and 
are  turned  to  fables. — W.  Lockhart. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS 

CHCJRCH  AND  STATE 

In  matters  political  God  has  laid  down  for  Christians  a  certain 
line  of  conduct;  to  render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  to 
be  subject  to  higher  power  for  conscience  sake,  recognizing  it  as  a 
delegation  of  God's  own  authority ;  to  endure  with  patience  when 
that  power  is  abused  and  turned  to  our  oppression ;  to  render  homage 
even  to  wicked  and  unjust  rulers,  and  to  leave  the  rest  in  the  hands 
of  God. — Bishop  Bellord. 

OBEDIENCE  TO  AUTHORITY 

St.  Augustine  exhorts  the  faithful  even  to  disregard  disability 
and  injustice  in  their  superiors,  to  disregard  their  worthiness  or 
worthlessness,  and  have  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  same  God  who 
gave  a  kingdom  to  the  pious  Augustus,  also  made  a  Nero  emperor; 
the  same  God  who  placed  the  crown  upon  gentle  Titus  also  put  the 
sceptre  into  the  hand  of  cruel  Domitian;  the  same  God  who  elevated 
the  zealous  Constantine  to  the  throne  also  gave  rulership  to  the 
apostate  Julian.  They  all  will  have  to  give  an  account  to  the  King 
of  Kings  as  to  how  they  filled  their  office,  how  they  used  the  power 
that  God  placed  in  their  hands.  All  will  appear  before  His  tribunal. 
For  many  thousands  of  years  emperors,  kings  and  princes  have  ruled 
the  people  of  the  Lord,  and  for  each  of  them  the  hour  came  when 
they  had  to  lay  down  the  crown  and  respond  to  the  summons,  "Give 
an  account  of  thy  stewardship." 

What  an  example  of  obedience  and  of  love  of  justice  is  given  to 
all  by  the  Theban  Legion  !  "We  are  your  soldiers,  sire,"  they  said 
to  Maximian,  who  wished  to  make  them  persecute  the  Christians; 
"but  we  are  also  the  servants  of  God:  to  you  we  owe  military  service, 
to  God  our  innocence.  We  can  not  obey  your  orders  if  opposed  to 
His;  so  long  as  not.'iing  is  asked  of  us  tliat  can  oft'end  Him,  wc  sludl 
continue  to  obey  you  as  hitherto ;  otherwise  we  must  obey  Him 
rather  than  you. "  And,  indeed,  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  put 
to  death  rather  than  execute  the  unjust  commands  of  the  emperor. 

— History  of  the  Church. 

Servants,  be  subject  to  your  masters  zjith  all  fear,  not  only  to  the 
good  and  gentle,  but  also  to  the  frozvard. — T  Peter  H,  i8. 


160    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Admonish  them  to  be  subject  to  princes  and  powers,  to  obey  at 
a  word,  to  be  ready  to  every  good  work. — Tit.  Ill,  i. 

BELIGION  THE  BASIS  OF  POLITICAL  ECONOMY 

In  fact  wc  must  make  religion  the  basis  of  our  political  economy. 
This  view  is  most  unpopular.  While  all  mankind  acknowledges  the 
beauty  of  our  Lord's  unselfishness  and  unworldliness,  very  few 
outside  the  Catholic  Church  will  admit  that  His  life  as  revealed  in 
the  Gospels  is  a  desirable  model  for  those  who  live  a  busy  working 
life  in  the  world.  Even  ministers  of  professedly  Christian  sects  have 
said  that  society  could  not  be  carried  on  for  a  week  on  the 
principles  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Political  economists  insist 
that  selfishness  and  greed  are  the  very  mainsprings  of  invention, 
industry,  and  prosperity,  and  that  humility,  contentment,  disinter- 
estedness, self-sacrifice  are  hostile  to  the  due  production  and  distribu- 
tion of  wealth.  The  Catholic  Church,  as  the  source  of  these  virtues, 
is  therefore,  from  the  point  of  view  of  most  economists,  the  enemy 
of  human  progress.  They  can  allege  with  truth  that  Christian 
principles  have  fallen  into  complete  disrepute  with  all  those  who 
write  about  or  conduct  worldly  affairs,  and  they  assume  t.hcrcfnre 
that  these  principles  are  impracticable.  But  God  can  answer  as  of 
old:  "I  will  leave  me  seven  thousand  men  in  Israel  whose  knees 
have  not  bowed  before  Baal"  (III.  Kings  xix,  i8).  We  can  point 
to  thousands  of  religious  communities  in  every  age,  and  more  of 
them  now  probably  than  in  any  past  age,  which  regulate  themselves 
and  their  temporal  affairs  according  to  the  law  of  Christ  in  its 
extremist  form;  we  can  point  to  the  success  they  have  met  both 
in  their  internal  relations  and  their  relations  with  the  outer  world, 
to  the  absence  in  their  case  of  those  evils  which  beset  all  com- 
munities which  act  on  unchristian  principles,  to  the  happiness  they 
diffuse,  their  good  order,  and  the  economical  benefits  they  have 
conferred  on  human  society.     I  speak  of  the  monastic  system. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

POLITICAL  IDEAS  LEADING  TO  RELIGIOUS  IDEAS 

Pere  Lacordaire  tells  us  that  he  returned  to  the  Christian  faith 
through  social  belief.  "Many  think  it  unaccountable  that  I  should 
have  been  led  back  to  religious  ideas  by  means  of  political  ideas. 
The  further,  however,  I  advance  the  more  natural  does  this  seem 
to  me." 

THE  STATE  OF  WEALTH 

God  has  called  certain  persons  to  the  state  of  power  and  wealth, 
not  through  their  own  deserts  or  for  their  own  advantage,  but  in 
order  that  they  might  render  special  services  to  Him  and  to  human 
society.  Their  position  has  not  been  given  to  them  to  excite  them 
to  arrogance  and  contempt  of  others,  nor  to  enable  them  to  live  apart 
from  the  rush  of  the  world's  work  in  a  serene,  lofty,  exclusive  sphere 
of  their  own.  Their  power  is  not  given  to  them  that  they  may 
oppress  the  poor,  or  combine  to  increase  their  own  wealth  by  robbing 
the  toilers,  or  exact  from  them  a  larger  return  than  their  labour  pro- 
duces,  or   create    solitudes    for   their   own   plea.surcs   by   casting  out 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS  161 

hundreds  and  refusing  tliem  the  right  to  live  and  labour  and  draw 
their  sustenance  from  their  mother  earth.  Their  wealth  is  not  given 
to  thcni  in  absolute  irresponsible  ownership  to  be  hoarded  up  or 
squandered  as  caprice  and  extravagance  may  dictate.  They  arc 
stewards  and  trustees  rather  than  owners  of  their  wealth.  They  are 
accountable  to  God  and  man  for  the  proper  and  unselfish  use  of  the 
advantages  they  have  received,  'i'hc  civil  laws  at  times  restrain  a 
man's  ownership  in  the  interest  of  his  family  or  his  fellow  citizens; 
the  Divine  law  puts  a  restraint  en  ownership,  under  eternal  penalties, 
in  the  interests  of  God  and  human  society. 

The  rich  are  bound  to  be  moderate  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
wealth  and  to  restrain  the  excess  of  their  desires,  remembering  that 
as  men  they,  like  the  poor,  have  no  absolute  claim  to  more  than  is 
sufficient  for  good  and  decent  life.  They  are  not  indeed  bound  to 
live  as  do  the  poor;  they  may  allow  themselves  many  things  as  suitable 
to  their  station,  ^<'hich  would  be  superfluity  and  luxury  to  many 
other  men,  for  "Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  thy 
corn  on  the  floor"  (Deut.  xxv,  4).  But  any  excessive  extravagance 
is  a  sinful  misappropriation  of  goods  not  their  own. 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

There  is  not  a  more  wicked  thing  than  to  love  money,  for  such  a 
one  setteth  even  his  ozvn  soul  to  sale  because,  while  he  liveth,  he  hath 
cast  away  Jiis  bozvels. — Ecclus.  X,  10. 

Thou  shalt  not  muscle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  thy  corn  on  the 
floor.— Deut.  XXV,  4. 

Set  not  thy  heart  upon  unjust  possessions,  and  say  not:  I  have 
enough  to  live  on:  for  it  shall  be  of  no  service  in  the  time  of 
vengeance  and  darkness. — Ecclus.  V,  i. 

IVo  to  him  that  bnildcth  tip  his  house  by  injustice,  and  his 
chambers  not  in  judgment :  that  zvill  oppress  his  friend  without  cause, 
and  zvill  not  pay  him  his  zuages! — Jcr.  XXII,  13. 

Wealth  is  one  of  the  natural  goods  of  life,  and  one  of  the  great 
instruments  of  religious  works,  especially  the  works  of  corporal 
mercy.  Riches  are  not  evil  in  themselves,  but  only  the  trusting  in 
riches.  But  so  generally  does  the  trusting  in  riches  follow  on  the 
possession  of  riches,  that  Our  Lord  is  able  to  say  of  the  rich  as  a 
class  that  they  can  hardly  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

A  considerable  amount  of  wealth  ought  to  go  back  to  the  classes 
from  whom  it  originally  came;  and  that  not  in  the  wages  of  ordinary 
circulation — value  given  for  value  received — but  as  a  tribute  due. 
Turning  to  nature  we  find  the  rivers  bringing  down  their  treasure  of 
limpid  water  to  be  lost  in  the  ocean  ;  but  the  sea  returns  it  all,  giving 
it  up  first  in  vapours  to  the  clouds  to  be  deposited  on  the  mountains, 
which  again  feed  the  river  heads.     The  earth  yearly  gives  up  to  us 


162    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

its  wealth  in  food  for  the  myriad  armies  of  man  and  beast  and  bird ; 
but  the  energy  which  has  gone  forth  from  it  has  to  be  restored  in 
labour  and  irrigation  and  fertilization.  So  is  it  with  the  rich  man. 
He  receives  from  the  community  many  privileges  which  he  has  not 
earned,  he  receives  without  an  equivalent  the  fruits  of  the  surplus 
labour  of  many  of  his  fellow  men;  he  has  received  artificial  rights  to 
those  fruits,  created  by  the  laws,  and  continued  long  after  the  original 
justification  for  them  had  ceased. — Bishop  Bellord. 

Thou  shalt  not  refuse  the  hire  of  the  needy  and  the  poor,  whether 
he  he  thy  brother,  or  a  stranger  that  divelleth  zvith  thee  in  the  land, 
and  is  within  thy  gates: — But  thou  shalt  pay  him  the  price  of  his 
labour  the  same  day,  before  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  because  he  is 
poor,  and  zvith  it  maintaineth :  lest  he  cry  against  thee  to  the  Lord, 
and  it  be  reputed  to  thee  for  a  sin. — Deut.  XXIV,  14-15. 

He  tlmt  oppresseth  the  poor,  to  increase  his  own  riches,  shall  him- 
self give  to  one  that  is  richer,  and  shall  be  in  need. — Do  no  violence 
to  the  poor  because  he  is  poor,  and  do  not  oppress  the  needy  in  the 
gate: — Because  the  Lord  will  judge  his  cause,  and  will  afflict  them 
that  have  afflicted  his  soid. — Prov.  XXII,  16,  22-23. 

//  any  irvan  hath  done  any  work  for  thee,  immediately  pay  him 
his  hire,  and  let  not  the  wages  of  thy  hired  servant  stay  with  thee  at 
all.—Tob.  IV,  15. 

It  is  most  desirable  that  there  should  be  a  great  reserve  of  wealth 
held  in  store  among  a  community.  If  each  man  earned  and  held 
only  enough  for  to-morrow's  needs,  then  any  irregularity  or  disloca- 
tion of  industry  would  cast  all  into  absolute  want.  There  must  be  ac- 
cumulated capital  if  vast  bulks  of  commodities  are  to  be  purchased 
in  one  country  and  transferred  to  another,  prepared  in  advance  and 
held  in  readiness  for  emergencies.  If  property  were  all  divided  to- 
morrow— while  the  shares  would  be  so  small  that  none  would  profit 
much — there  would  be  an  end  of  commerce  at  once ;  we  could  no 
longer  obtain  the  production  of  other  lands,  and  a  deficiency  of 
material  for  food  or  labour  in  one  place  could  not  be  promptly  made 
good  from  another.  Capital  is  an  ocean  of  varying  depth,  but  main- 
taining a  uniform  level  of  commodities  in  every  part  of  the  world: 
exchange  of  commodities  without  capital  would  be  much  like  trans- 
port in  a  mountainous  country,  by  canals  with  many  locks,  and 
intermittent  rivers  full  of  shoals,  and  portages,  and  rapids. 

Again,  great  works,  such  as  railways  and  manufactures,  could 
not  be  undertaken  unless  there  were  large  sums  of  money,  not  re- 
quired for  immediate  wants,  which  could  be  used  for  directing  large 
amounts  of  labour  to  one  object,  and  maintaining  the  labourers  till  the 
wealth  created  by  them  is  complete  and  exchangeable  for  consumable 
wealth.  Only  a  small  part  of  labour  is  immediately  productive ;  and 
human  work  would  be  limited  to  that  kind,  were  it  not  that  some 
possess  more  wealth  than  they  can  use  themselves,  and  so  can  employ 
it  on  enterprise  that  will  not  make  an  immediate  return. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS  163 

DUTIES  OF  WEALTH 

Pope  Leo  XIII  teaches  that  "Whoever  has  received  from  the 
Divine  bounty  a  larp;c  share  cf  temporal  blessings,  whether  they  be 
external  and  corporal,  or  gifts  of  the  mind,  has  received  them  for 
the  purpose  of  using  them  for  the  perfecting  of  his  own  nature, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  may  employ  them,  as  the  steward  of 
God's  Providence,  for  the  benefit  of  others."  Pope  Pius  X  has  declared 
the  same  truth.  "An  obligation  of  charity,"  he  says,  "rests  on  rich  men 
and  holders  of  property  to  help  the  poor  and  needy  according  to  the 
Gospel  precept ;  and  so  grave  is  this  precept  that  on  the  day  of  Judg- 
ment, according  to  Christ  Himself,  a  special  reckoning  will  be  made 
of  its  fulfilment." 

WORK 

Because  thou  hast  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast 
eaten  of  the  tree,  whereof  I  cominandcd  thee  that  thou  shoiildst  not 
cat,  cursed  is  the  earth  in  thy  work:  zvith  labour  and\  toil  shalt  thou 
eat  thereof  all  the  days  of  thy  life. — In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt 
thou  cat  bread  till  thou  return  to  the  earth,  out  of  which  thou  wast 
taken. — Gen.  Ill,  17,  19. 

He  that  followeth  idleness  shall  be  filled  with  poverty. 

—Prov.  XXVIII,  19. 

Six  days  shalt  thou  labour,  and  shalt  do  all  thy  works. — Ex.  XX,  9. 

The  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire. — Luke  X,  7. 

//  any  man  will  not  work,  neither  let  him  eat. — For  we  have 
heard  there  are  some  among  you  who  walk  disorderly,  working  not 
at  all,  btit  curiously  meddling. — II  Thess.  Ill,  lo-ii. 

For  there  is  a  perennial  nobleness,  and  even  sacredness,  in  work. 
Were  he  never  so  benighted,  forgetful  of  his  high  calling,  there  is 
always  hope  in  a  man  that  actually  and  earnestly  works.  .  .  .  The 
blessed  glow  of  labour  in  him,  is  it  not  as  purifying  fire,  wherein  all 
poison  is  burned  up,  and  of  sour  smoke  itself  there  is  made  bright 
blessed  flame ! — Carlyle  (Non-Cath.)  in  Past  and  Present. 

THE  BLESSING  OF  WORK 

God  made  man,  for  man's  own  good,  to  labour,  to  toil,  and  in  some 
mysterious  way  has  made  his  happiness  and  contentment  in  life  de- 
pendent thereon.  None  so  wretched  as  the  idle,  none  so  miserable  as 
those  who  try  to  turn  life  into  a  dream  or  a  pastime.  Nothing  can 
be  held  or  gained  without  labour,  and  so  far  from  complaining  of 
being  compelled  to  work  for  a  livelihood,  we  ought  rather  to  praise 
and  bless  God  for  thus  preserving  us  from  the  danger  and  misery  of 
idleness.  Hunger,  thirst,  poverty,  and  fatigue,  often  regarded  as  a 
curse,  are  only  healthy  stimulants  to  God-ordained  work.  The  happy 
and  contented  man  is  he  who  makes  good  use  of  his  mental  and 
bodily  powers — the  very  instruments  given  him  by  God  for  work. 

— W.  Graham. 


164    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE   COXDITIOX    OF  LABOfR 

The  things  of  earth  cannot  be  understood  or  valued  aright  without 
taking  into  consideration  the  life  to  come.  ...  As  for  riches  and 
the  other  things  which  men  call  good  and  desirable,  whether  we  have 
them  in  aliundance  or  lack  them  altogether,  so  far  as  eternal  hap- 
piness is  concerned  it  matters  little ;  the  only  important  thing  is  to 
use  them  aright.  .  .  .  Therefore  those  whom  fortune  favours  are 
warned  that  freedorli  from  sorrow  and  abundance  of  earthly  riches 
are  no  warrant  for  the  bliss  that  shall  never  end,  but  rather  are 
obstacles;  that  the  rich  should  tremble  at  the  threatenings  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  that  a  most  strict  account  must  be  given  to  the  Supreme 
Judge  for  all  we  possess. — Pope  Leo  XIII. 

EQUALITY 

The  Christian  view  is  grounded  on,  and  helps  to  maintain,  the  doc- 
trine of  the  natural  equality  of  all  m^inkind.  Outside  of  religion 
men  may  declaim  about  equality,  but  they  will  never  establish  it. 
Theoretical  and  legal  equality  will  never  make  men  socially  and 
practically  equal,  as  long  as  wealth  is  held  in  supreme  honour  and 
poverty  in  contempt.  The  Catholic  Church  alone  has  the  power  to 
give  the  poor  man  his  due  place  in  human  society,  civil  and  religious; 
she  makes  him  respected  and  contented,  and  gives  him  compensation 
for  the  hardness  of  his  lot;  this  she  does  because  to  her  alone  has 
God  given  the  blessedness  of  understanding  concerning  the  needy  and 
the  poor. — Bishop  Bellord. 

POVERTY 

But  he  that  has  received  fewer  must  not  be  troubled,  nor  take  it 
ill,  nor  envy  him  that  is  more  enriched;  but  attend  rather  to  Thee, 
and  very  much  praise  Thy  goodness  for  that  Thou  bestowest  Thy 
gifts  so  plentifully,  so  freely,  and  so  willingly,  without  respect  of 
persons.  All  things  are  from  Thee,  and,  therefore.  Thou  art  to  be 
praised  in  all.  Thou  knowest  what  is  fit  to  be  given  to  every  one: 
and  why  this  person  hath  less,  and  the  other  more,  is  not  our  business 
to  decide,  but  Thine,  who  keepcst  an  exact  account  of  the  merits  of 
each  one. — TIwDias  a  Koiipis. 

We  are  happy  when  the  Lord  places  us  in  a  condition  to  honour 
His  poverty  by  ours;  we  are  then  under  the  happy  necessity  of  de- 
pending in  all  things  on  Divine  Providence.  We  have  a  thousand 
opportunities  of  relying  on  His  bounty,  of  sympathizing  with  the 
miseries  of  the  poor,  and  of  practicing  many  acts  of  patience,  humility, 
mortification,  and  conformity  to  the  will  of  God. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

The  Christian  view  of  poverty  is,  that  it  is  a  state  of  economical 
and  spiritual  benefit  to  men.  The  world  rejects  this  view;  it  does 
not  care  about  the  spiritual  aspect,  and  considers  that  economical 
poverty  is  an  evil.  This  false  view  has  produced  endless  practical 
evils;  all  speculations  about  poverty  have,  in  consequence,  been  vain, 
all  schemes  frustrated,  all  remedies  useless.  Men  hope  to  destroy 
poverty;  they  might  as  well  attempt  to  dry  up  the  ocean.  They  en- 
deavor to  alleviate  its  ills,  but  they  can  only  touch  its  outskirts ;  and, 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS  165 

after  all  is  done,  poverty  remains  deeper  and  more  hopeless  than  ever 
— a  greater  problem  and  a  greater  danger.  The  Christian  view  brings 
about  a  very  different  result.  It  causes  respect  for  the  poor,  recog- 
nising their  state  as  a  respectable  one  and  not  degraded ;  not  excep- 
tional but  the  normal  state  of  the  majority  of  men. 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

To  many  of  you,  perhaps,  it  will  sound  a  strange  and  novel 
Gospel  that  our  highest  reverence  is  due  not  any  longer  to  wealth 
or  strength,  physical  or  intellectual,  but  to  poverty,  and  weak- 
ness, and  suffering.  The  witchery  of  the  world  at  times  will  cast  a 
strange  glamour  over  us,  but  if  it  has  not  altogether  blinded  us,  the 
light  of  God's  revelation  will  shine  through,  and  in  that  light  the 
Gospel  that  I  have  spoken  of  stands  out  in  its  truth  and  beauty.  For 
is  it  not  written  that  the  God  of  this  universe  adopted,  elevated,  and 
sanctified  the  state  of  poverty ;  that  He  chose  a  stable  for  His  birth- 
place, with  the  beasts  of  the  field  for  His  nurses,  and  a  scaffold  for 
His  deathbed,  with  malefactors  for  His  companions,  and  the  lowliest 
of  virgins  to  be  His  mother,  and  the  poorest  of  artisans  to  be  His 
reputed  father,  and  rude,  weak,  illiterate  fishermen  to  be  the  bearers 
of  His  name  and  mission  to  the  world?  No  palatial  residences  had 
He.  "The  foxes  have  their  holes,  and  the  birds  of  heaven  have  their 
nests,  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  whereon  to  lay  His  head."  No 
purple  or  fine  linen,  but  the  one  seamless  garment  which  His  mother 
wove.  No  sumptuous  repasts.  A  little  honey  and  fried  fish  were  to 
Him  and  His  disciples  a  luxury.  And  in  His  last  agony,  when  the 
fever  of  suffering  wrung  from  Him  those  words,  "I  thirst,"  there 
was  no  friend  near  to  give  the  dying  God  one  drop  of  water. 

— P.  A.  Sheehan. 

Ever  since  Christ  chose  poverty  as  His  share,  it  has  had  its 
enthusiastic  lovers,  enamoured  by  its  beauty  and  fairness.  St.  Francis 
of  Assisi  made  poverty  his  beloved  bride  and  wedded  himself  to  his 
Lady  Poverty  for  life,  retaining  for  her  a  loyalty  and  tender  affection, 
that  have  never  been  excelled.  He  speaks  of  his  Lady  Poverty  in 
terms  of  endearment  and  exquisite  devotion.  Numerous  are  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Seraphic  Saint,  who,  like  him,  renounced  wealth  and 
all  that  wealth  can  give,  to  imitate  more  perfectly  our  Saviour  in  His 
complete  self-abasement.  It  is  this  fact  that  has  reconciled  the  poor, 
inspired  by  Christian  sentiments,  to  their  lot  and  made  them  find  in 
poverty  a  happiness  and  consolation  which  all  the  wealth  of  the  world 
could  not  give  them. — C.  Briiehl. 

"THK  POOR"  SHOULD  NOT  MEAN  "PAUPERS" 

The  very  poor,  those  who  are  downright,  hideously  poor,  have 
every  right  to  cry  out  against  and  complain  of  their  poverty.  When 
Our  Lord  said:  "Blessed  are  the  poor,"  He  did  not  mean :  "Blessed  are 
the  paupers."  He  meant  men  who  owned  boats  and  fishing-nets. 
The  pauper  then  should  allow  the  community  no  rest  until  he  is  on 
friendly  terms  with  a  little  more  of  the  mammon  of  iniquity.  He 
ought  not  to  be  content  with  pauperism  because,  normally  speaking, 
pauperism  is  a  hindrance  both  to  bodily  and  spiritual  welfare.     A 


166    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Saint  could  put  up  with  it,  and  utilize  it.     But  its  tendency  on  the 
normal  man  and  woman  is  to  hinder  their  well-being. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  POOU 

In  the  first  ages  Christianity  was  esteemed  the  creed  of  slaves  and 
outcasts  by  the  lordly  pagans  of  the  empire.  In  later  times  the 
Catholic  Church  has  been  held  contemptible  for  being  the  creed  of 
the  poor  and  the  ignorant,  the  creed  of  women  and  children,  and  not 
the  creed  of  the  arrogant  and  the  independent,  the  successful  poli- 
tician, and  the  speculator  in  millions.  It  is  actually  despised  because 
it  fulfils  the  prophecy  of  Jesus  Christ,  "The  poor  shall  have  the 
Gospel  preached  to  them." — Bishop  Bellord. 

CONTENTMENT 

The  Eastern  legend  tells  us  of  the  wise  man  who  ate  garden  stuff 
to  appease  his  hunger.  He  said  to  himself,  "Surely  there  is  no  one 
in  the  world  more  wretched  than  I."  But,  as  he  turned  around,  he 
beheld  another  man  eating  the  leaves  which  he  had  thrown  away. 
None  of  us  is  so  poor  that  he  cannot  behold  others  less  favoured. 
It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  try  and  behold  our  blessings  rather  than 
our  afflictions. 

Were  it  not  for  the  Catholic  Church  in  New  York  City,  life  would 
not  be  worth  living.  It  does  infinitely  more  than  any  one  other 
agency  to  bring  contentment  into  the  lives  of  the  people. 

— The  Sun   (New  York). 

TRUE  CONSOLATION  ONLY  IN  RELIGION 

The  great  European  war  has  brought  it  home  anew  in  numberless 
instances  that  true  consolation  is  found  only  in  religion.  In  Germany 
the  letter  carriers  were  directed  by  the  Government  whenever  they 
had  letters  or  parcels  returned  from  the  front  as  undeliverable.  on 
account  of  the  death  of  the  soldier,  they  were  to  ascertain  to  what 
church  or  parish  the  mother  or  widow  of  the  man  belonged,  and  to 
hand  the  letter  or  parcel  to  the  priest  or  minister  for  returning  it  to 
the  sender,  so  that  the  sad  message  might  be  conveyed  by  the  one 
best  fitted  to  offer  consolation. 

LIBERTY 

The  word  "liberty"  has  only  too  often  been  misinterpreted  or 
misapplied,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  minds  of  men  have  in  many 
instances  given  it  a  meaning  which  is  entirely  erroneous.  We  need 
but  glance  at  numerous  schemes  that  have,  at  various  times,  been 
concocted  by  those  who  have  professed  to  labour  in  the  sacred  cause 
of  freedom;  we  need  but  look  around  us  to-day  and  examine  many 
of  the  theories  of  political,  social,  and  economic  life  to  find  that  one 
of  the  misconceptions  prevalent  is  that  liberty  is  incompatible  with 
law.  If  man  be  supreme,  if  he  owes  allegiance  to  no  power  beyond 
himself,  if  the  dictates  of  intelligence  and  conscience  be  merely  the 
voices  of  the  wind  coming  from  nowhere,  then  human  liberty  would 
necessarily  consist  in  exemption  from  all  restraint  and  from  all  law. 
But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  very  nature  of  man  compels  us  to 


THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  CONDITIONS  167 

recognize  the  existence  of  One  to  whom  man  is  bound  to  be  obedient; 
to  recognize  in  the  commanding  voices  that  speak  within  the  breast 
of  man,  dictates  implanted  by  the  Author  of  all  things,  then  human 
liberty  can  never  exist  apart  from  and  dissociated  from  the  restraints 
of  law.  On  the  contrary,  liberty  supposes  law.  Paradoxical  though  it 
may  at  first  appear,  the  word  of  Goethe,  which  but  echoes  Catholic 
teaching,  is  true:  "Only  in  law  can  the  spirit  of  man  find  freedom." 
The  same  thought  found  expression  in  the  words  of  our  late  Pontiff, 
when  he  said,  "Nothing  more  foolish  can  be  uttered  or  conceived 
than  the  notion,  that  because  man  is  free  by  nature  he  is  therefore 
exempt  from  law.  Were  this  the  case,  it  would  follow  that  to  become 
free,  we  must  be  deprived  of  reason,  whereas  the  truth  is  that  we  are 
bound  to  submit  to  law  precisely  because  we  are  free  by  our  very 
nature." — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.S.P. 

RKLIGION  AKD  THE  RLATERIAL  WEI-FARE  O-V  RIANKIND 

Religion  and  holiness  are  most  profitable  as  a  stimulus  to  labour, 
and  so  to  the  production  of  wealth.  Those  who  are  spiritual  are  not 
so  narrow-minded  as  men  of  the  world ;  they  do  not  exclude  from 
cultivation  that  side  of  human  nature  which  they  consider  the  less 
important;  they  are  not  intolerant  of  it;  on  the  contrary,  they  regard 
earthly  labour  as  a  Divine  ordinance  to  be  observed  as  thoroughly 
as  the  ordinance  for  sanctifying  their  souls.  Their  motto  is  laborare 
ct  orare,  labour  and  pray.  They  are  placed  almost  on  the  same  level ; 
at  any  rate  they  are  inseparable.  Even  those  who  aspired  to  the 
greatest  perfection  and  separated  themselves  from  the  world,  did  not 
exempt  themselves  from  doing  duty  to  society.  In  their  seclusion 
they  alternated  meditation  with  useful  manual  labour.  None  have 
been  more  faithful  labourers  than  the  members  of  religious  Orders, 
"the  lazy  monks,"  as  they  are  so  often  called.  Among  them  were 
no  strikes,  no  demands  for  higher  pay,  no  squandering  of  their  earn- 
ings on  self-indulgence,  no  neglect  of  work  for  excessive  recreation 
and  holidays,  no  looking  forward  to  retiring  from  their  laborious 
lot.    They  were  the  pioneers  of  industry  in  the  Old  World. 

Another  utility  of  religion  consists  in  the  works  of  benevolence 
which  it  has  inspired.  Look  at  the  hospitals,  the  asylums,  the  schools, 
the  associations  for  aiding  prisoners,  restoring  the  fallen,  saving 
fouridlings,  visiting  the  poor,  nursing  the  sick.  There  is  hardly  a 
single  one,  out  of  tens  of  thousands  of  institutions  for  the  relief  of 
human  wants,  that  has  not  originated  in  the  mind  of  some  holy  man 
or  woman.  If  religion  and  ail  its  natural  good  works  were  to  perish 
to-morrow  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  how  few  of  such  institutions 
would  remain,  and  how  much  the  great  mass  of  unrelieved  misery 
would  increase ! 

Under  the  same  head  we  may  place  the  comfort,  the  encourage- 
ment, the  restraint,  the  contentment,  the  guidance,  which  religion 
and  the  influence  of  saintly  persons  diffuses  in  the  world.  Surely 
this  conduces  more  to  human  happiness,  and  indeed  to  material  well- 
being  than  any  mechanical  invention.  These  are  services  which  can 
not  be  estimated  in  money,  which  are  not  investments,  and  do  not 
figure  in  statistics  of  a  country's  wealth.  Yet  can  any  one  say  that 
the  prosperity  of  a  country  is  not  increased  by  the  daily  millions  of 


168    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

such  intangible  services  rendered  by  holy  lives  to  the  commonwealth? 
There  is  another  utility  in  holy  lives  less  visible  than  the  fore- 
going but  not  less  important;  this  would  vindicate  their  character  as 
benefactors  of  the  working  world  even  if  they  did  nothing  else.  In 
the  midst  of  the  throng  of  sinful  men  whose  deeds  are  forever  call- 
ing down  the  vengeance  of  God,  there  are  numerous  unpresuming 
unnoticed  ones,  whose  holiness  and  whose  prayers  hold  back  the 
punishments  that  are  ready  to  descend,  and  bring  down  a  blessing 
on  human  labours.  Terrible  were  the  penalties  of  old  inflicted  on 
sin — the  deluge,  the  destruction  of  Sodom,  the  extermination  of  the 
nations  of  Palestine,  the  captivities  and  final  dispersion  of  the  Jews. 
We  look  at  the  awful  abominations  of  the  great  cities  of  the  civil- 
ized world,  and  we  wonder  that  the  earth  does  not  open  and  swallow 
them  up.  Is  God  indifferent?  Has  He  grown  used  to  the  sight  of 
sin?  No.  But  the  prayers  of  the  Saints  on  earth,  and  the  unceas- 
ing oblations  on  the  altars  of  the  Church,  are  saving  the  world  from 
the  chastisement  it  deserves. — Bishop  Bellord. 


SECRET  SOCIETIES 

THE   DANGER    OF   FREEMASONRY 

Would  it  be  an  exaggeration  to  assert  that  the  vast  majority  of 
Masons  in  our  country  deem  the  lodge  a  "good  enough  religion" 
for  themselves?  It  would  not.  Many  do  not  realize  the  danger 
or  do  not  estimate  at  its  true  value  this  opposition  offered  to  re- 
ligion by  the  secret  society  habit  of  supplanting  it  in  the  human 
heart. — /,  W.  Sullivan. 

WHY  THE  CHURCH  IS  OPPOSED  TO   FREEMASONS 

The  answer  of  Archbishop  Spalding,  of  Baltimore,  to  a  Mason's 
letter,  inquiring  why  the  Catholic  Church  condemns  the  Order,  is 
most  important,  as  it  gives  the  key  to  the  situation.  "This  is  done," 
savs  he,  "for  many  reasons,  chief  among  which  is  the  fact  that 
Masonry  is  the  very  best  human  and  natural  counterfeit  aiming 
to  supersede  our  Divinely  revealed  and  supernatural  religion."  In 
other  words,  the  Church  is  not  so  much  opposed  to  Masonry  as 
Masonry  is  opposed  to  the  Church,  for  it  attempts  to  do  that  for 
which  she  has  been  Divinely  commissioned. — /.  W.  Sullivan. 

THE   JLASONIC    ORDER   A   RELIGIOUS    SECT 

In  1905  one  Master-Mason  of  New  York  City  admitted  to  his 
lodge  a  noted  gambler.  Suspension  from  the  Order  was  the  punish- 
ment meted  out  for  the  indiscretion.  A  request  foi  a  charter  to  form 
a  new  lodge  was  made  by  him.  The  petition  was  denied.  Unwilling 
to  submit  to  what  he  regarded  as  harsh  treatment,  the  master  took 
the  matter  into  the  Civil  Courts  and  won  his  case.  An  appeal  to 
the  Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  made  by  the 
Masonic  Order.  The  authority  of  the  Order  must  be  maintained,  it 
must  therefore  manifest  its  true  character.  "It  is  unconstitutional 
for  the  civil  authorities  to  interfere,"  claimed  the  representative  of 
the  Order,  as  quoted  in  the  New  York  Herald.    "It  is  unconstitutional, 


SOCIALISM  169 

for  the  Masonic  Order  is  a  religious  sect.  It  is  a  sect  with  its  ritual, 
its  creed,  its  cult,  just  as  much  a  sect  as  the  Lutherans,  the  Methodists, 
the  Roman  Catholics,"  Can  aught  be  plainer?  Is  there  no  danger 
that  he  who  joins  such  an  Order  will  deem  it  a  good  enough  religion 
for  himself?  Is  there  no  opposition  in  this  to  the  religion  of  our 
Holy  Mother,  the  Church  ? — /.  I'V.  Sullivan. 

OATHS  OF  SECKET  SOCIETIES 

The  oaths  administered  by  the  secret  societies,  and  especially  the 
Freemasons,  are  both  rash  and  unjust  oaths;  for  the  members  swear 
obedience  to  unknown  superiors,  to  obey  unknown  orders  and  com- 
mands. It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  the  Supreme  Pontiffs  have  so 
often  condemned  these  societies  and  stigmatized  the  oaths  they  take. 

— Cuillois. 

SOCIALISM 

SOCIALISM 

The  word  Socialism  may  indicate  very  various  things.  There  is 
the  Socialism  which  is  immoral  and  unchristian,  which  declares  that 
"Property  is  robbery,"  and  which  would  rectify  inequalities  by  seizing 
on  all  wealth  and  dividing  it  among  all  men.  There  is  a  doctrinaire 
Socialism,  which  has  its  plans  carefully  elaborated  on  paper  without 
taking  account  of  human  nature.  It  disregards  the  law  that  a  social 
system  must  be  developed  from  the  living  organism  of  society,  and 
can  not  be  manufactured  brand-new  for  the  occasion  out  of  the  brain 
of  an  amateur.  Then  there  is  the  Socialism  of  responsible  statesmen 
who  yield  bit  by  bit  to  the  requirements  of  the  multitudes.  This  is 
founded,  not  on  any  deep,  true  principles,  but  on  present  material 
interests;  it  proceeds  sometimes  on  right  and  sometimes  on  wrong 
lines,  and  at  the  best  only  does  imperfectly  what  Christianity  would 
have  done  in  the  natural  course  had  it  not  been  impeded.  Finally 
there  is  a  Christian  Socialism,  grounded  on  the  equality  of  all  men 
as  declared  by  God,  on  brotherly  love,  and  on  the  right  of  every  man 
to  receive  a  proper  subsistence  in  return  for  honest  labour. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

The  spirit  of  revolt  has  spread  throughout  the  nations  with  such 
virulence  that  serious  thinkers  are  growing  anxious  for  the  ordered 
continuance  of  society.  Nor  can  these  fears  be  called  unfounded. 
When  all  allowance  has  been  made  for  the  exa2:geration  of  alarmists, 
and  when  every  period  of  unrest  in  the  world's  history  has  been 
passed  in  review  before  our  eyes,  we  shall  find,  I  fear,  that  there  are 
symptoms  at  present  so  grave,  that  we  must  be  pardoned  if  we  look 
upon  them  as  quite  unprecedented. 

For,  first,  the  discontent  is  more  widespread,  more  universal,  more 
deep-seated.  It  is  more  clamorous  in  its  appeal,  more  menacing  in 
its  attitude,  more  unreasonable  in  its  demands,  more  unscrupulous 
in  its  methods,  more  intolerant  of  delay,  more  disdainful  of  con- 
sequences. And,  secondly,  it  is  associated  with,  or  indeed  largely 
generated  by,  a  bewilderment  in  the  domain  of  religion  and  philoso- 
phy, which  bids  fair  tO'  upset  the  ethics  of  ages.     The  very  Deca- 


170    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

logue  is  being  inverted,  and  in  the  name  of  progress  men  are  tam- 
pering with  the  moral  principles  that  underlie  our  civilization. 

Doubt  is  now  a  virtue,  Faith  a  cowardly  adherence  to  fond  illu- 
sions; marriage  is  a  slavery,  honourable  maternity  a  burden  intoler- 
able to  emancipated  womanhood;  reverence  for  or  submission  to 
authority  is  mean  servility.  Even  youth  is  restive.  Our  young  "Sons 
of  Freedom"  arc  publishing  their  Declaration  of  Independence 
before  they  can  well  spell  it,  and  cutting  the  connection  with  father 
and  mother  before  they  have  learned  to  shave.  Women  is  in  revolt 
against  restrictions  that,  if  they  curtailed  her  liberty,  helped  to  shield 
her  weakness  and  to  enhance  her  dignity. — P.  J.  Gannon,  S.  J. 

Socialism  in  some  form  is  not  of  itself  necessarily  unchristian  or 
anti-social,  but  only  in  some  of  those  vagaries  which  beset  every 
great  movement,  and  which  fall  aside  as  fuller  light  is  cast  on  the 
subject.  But  it  is  an  uprising  of  the  popular  conscience  against 
those  false  maxims  of  the  world  which  have  obscured  certain  great 
religious  truths.  It  is  an  incoherent  demand  for  certain  Christian 
rights  which  have  been  set  aside  by  pride  of  race,  and  of  class,  and 
by  the  inordinate  desire  of  riches.  Unfortunately,  in  many  instances, 
it  is  an  attempt  to  realize  the  results  of  Christianity  without  the 
spirit  of  Christianity.  It  sometimes  seeks  to  establish  by  paper  or- 
ganization and  minute  rules  those  relations  between  men  which  can 
only  proceed  from  hearts  transformed  by  faith,  and  generosity,  and 
justice,  into  the  likeness  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  stirring  in  the  right 
direction,  but  unfortunately  by  the  wrong  methods.  We  should  show 
pity  to  the  disinherited  for  what  they  have  lost,  sympathy  with 
their  efforts  to  recover  it,  and  give  practical  aid  in  pointing  out  their 
errors  and  helping  them  to  better  methods. — Bishop  Bellord. 

Some  think  and  say,  "Times  have  changed.  We  must  change  with 
them."  If  Christ  were  living.  He  would  still  go  to  the  Garden  of 
Olives.  If  such  saintly  leaders  as  St.  Benedict,  St.  Bernard,  St. 
Ignatius,  St.  Francis,  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Dominic  were  living, 
they  would  still  follow  Jesus  into  the  interior  of  the  Garden,  and 
watch  and  pray  with  Him.  What  America  needs  is  sincere,  whole- 
souled,  religious  men,  leaders,  generals,  lights  of  the  world,  salt  of  the 
earth.  As  these  men  of  God  solved  the  great  social  and  religious 
problems  of  their  own  day,  thus  they  would  solve  them  to-day,  if  they 
were  living.  The  spirit  of  the  world  has  entered  the  convents, 
weakening  religious  life  and  religious  influence. 

— C.  H.  Thucntc.  0.  P. 

THE  CHCBCH  THE  BULWARK  AGAINST  SOCIALISM 

Few  men  appreciate  the  great  services  which  the  Catholic  Church 
is  rendering  in  staying  the  rising  tide  of  Socialism.  The  leaders  of 
that  Church  grasp  their  danger,  and  the  country  owes  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  the  activity  that  comes  from  the  Catholic  Church  to 
educate  its  citizens  upon  the  menace  of  Socialism. 

— The  Qiiincy  Whig  (Non-Cath.). 


SOCIALISM  171 

I  regard  the  Catholic  Church  as  the  great  bulwark  in  the  United 
States  against  the  bad  features  of  Socialism  and  anarchy,  and  for  the 
upholding  of  law  and  order. — Max  Pavi  (Non-Cath.). 

SOCIALISTIC   AND  COMMUNISTIC  EXPERIMENTS 

During  the  nineteenth  century  the  United  States  was  repeatedly 
the  scene  of  communistic  experiments.  Daring  adventurers  assembled 
people  and  founded  settlements  on  communistic  principles,  private 
property  being  abolished.  In  1824,  Robert  Owens  founded  a  colony 
in  Indiana,  which  soon  grew  to  nine  hundred  members,  living  in  the 
fashion  of  atheistic  communism.  In  1825  the  colony  adopted  its  first 
constitution,  which  within  the  following  year  suffered  six  complete 
revisions.  In  June  of  the  second  year  the  last  members  of  the  colony 
ate  their  farewell  dinner  together.  The  experiment  had  come  to  a 
speedy  termination.  A  Frenchman,  Etienne  Cabet,  founded,  in  1848, 
a  new  colony,  in  Texas,  called  Icaria.  Soon  it  numbered  500  members. 
Each  family  had  its  small  homestead.  Children  were  educated  by 
the  community.  Amusement  was  provided  for  by  a  band  and  a 
theatre ;  a  library  supplied  the  intellectual  wants.  But  soon  it  all 
fell  into  decay.  Cabet  departed  and  died.  In  1895  the  newspapers 
reported  the  dissolution  of  the  last  remnant  of  the  colony.  Such  is 
the  fate  of  experiments.  Daring  adventurers  may  undertake  them. 
The  lecturer  at  college,  too,  will  be  readily  pardoned  for  his  eagerness 
to  take  up  the  cudgel  in  defence  of  what  is  ne  win  his  profane  science; 
he  may  easily  correct  himself.  But  the  Church,  the  Teacher  of  the 
centuries  and  of  the  nations,  in  the  sphere  of  religion  and  morals, 
has  not  the  right  to  experiment.  Here  where  mistakes  may  entail 
the  direst  consequences,  the  rule  must  be :  slowly  onward,  to  keep  the 
whole  from  ruin.  Cardinal  Benedict  Gaetani,  later  Pope  Boniface 
VIII.,  once  praised  Rome  for  having  "pedes  non  plumeos  sed 
plumbeos" — no  winged  feet,  but  leaden  heels. 


CHAPTER    V 
GRACE;    THE    MEANS    OF    GRACE 

GRACE 

A  clear  account  of  the  nature  and  efficacy  of  Divine  grace  is 
given  by  a  holy  Bishop  of  Paris.  "It  is,"  he  says:  (i)  "an  aid  be- 
stowed on  us  by  God  in  His  mercy,  to  enable  us  to  do  good  works 
and  to  secure  our  salvation;  (2)  an  aid  against  ourselves,  or  rather 
against  our  depraved  nature  and  evil  inclinations;  (3)  an  aid  to  help 
us  to  endure  with  success  the  sharpest  struggle,  and  to  conquer  our- 
selves; (4)  an  aid  against  all  opposed  to  our  salvation,  against  all 
enemies  seen  and  unseen,  who  strive,  by  means  of  bad  example  and 
temptation,  to  make  us  desist  from  doing  right  and  fall  into  evil; 
(5)  an  aid  enabling  us  to  remain  pure  amidst  the  wickedness  of 
this  world,  and  to  lead  holy  lives  in  the  midst  of  godless  men;  (6) 
an  aid  in  our  efforts  to  accomplish  good  works  and  to  become  more 
holy."— P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

THE  MEANING   OF  GRACE 

"I  had  rather  feci  compunction,"  says  the  author  of  the  "Imita- 
tion," "than  know  its  definition,"  So  might  we  say  of  grace — which 
is  measured  out  to  every  one  of  us — that  the  proper  use  of  it  is  of 
vastly  more  profit  than  the  ability  to  define  it  correctly  or  a  profound 
knowledge  of  its  mysteries.  We  know  little  of  grace.  No  human 
mind  has  ever  fathomed  the  depths  of  this  mystery.  Yet,  than  this 
term,  grace,  there  is  perhaps  none  more  familiar  on  the  lips  of 
Christians.  Accustomed  to  employ  it  on  innumerable  occasions,  we 
understand  in  a  general  way  what  is  meant  by  it.  Our  perception 
may  not  be  of  the  clearest,  nor  our  information  the  most  minute  and 
complete,  nor  our  method  of  comprehension  the  most  scientific,  so 
tc  speak.  But  our  knowledge  of  it,  such  as  it  is.  is  sufficient  for  all 
practical  purposes. — Jolm  H.  Siapleton. 

'By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  aw. — I.  Cor.  XV,  10. 

The  Lord  will  he  at  thy  side,  and  znll  keep  thy  foot,  that  thou  be 
not  taken. — Prov.  Ill,  26. 

He  that  is  good  shall  draw  grace  from  the  Lord. — Prov.  XII,  2. 

He  hath  not  done  in  like  manner  to  every  nation,  and  His  judg- 
ments He  hath  not  made  manifest  to  them. — Ps.  CXLVII.  20. 

TWO  KINDS  OF  GRACE 

And  so  we  speak  of  two  kinds  of  Divine  grace.  The  one  is  a 
transitory  succour  or  support,  the  other  a  permanent  state  of  condi- 

172 


GRACE:    THE   MEANS   OF   GRACE  173 

tion  of  being  established  to  persevere.  The  former  is  a  stimulus  that 
quickens  and  facilitates  action,  makes  it  possible  to  think,  to  will, 
to  do,  according  to  God;  the  latter  creates  a  state  of  ready  fitness 
and  vigour,  of  lasting  comfort  and  pleasure.  The  one  is  like  a  flash 
of  light  which  illumines  the  murky  darkness — a  jolt  to  the  selfish, 
sluggish,  faltering  will — a  sudden  and  mighty  uplift  to  achieve  what 
is  begun  and  to  complete  it.  The  other  is  like  the  constant  glow 
of  the  noon-day  orb,  the  continuous  pressure  of  a  potent  force,  the 
exuberance  of  superadded  strength  and  health  and  life. 

— John  H.  Staple  ton. 

SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

Sanctifying  or  habitual  grace  is  not  a  gift  that  comes  and  goes 
according  to  the  necessity  of  the  moment,  but  an  abiding  virtue 
which  "is  poured  forth  in  the  heart,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  is 
given  to  us."  "We  will  come  to  him  and  take  our  abode  in  him," 
says  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  Christ  dwelt  visibly  in  the  house  of 
Zacheus,  so  does  God  by  grace  abide  invisibly  in  the  soul,  creating 
in  us  a  new  manner  of  being,  called  supernatural,  which  is  truly  a 
life;  and  a  friendship  colouring  that  life;  and  an  energy  capable  of 
producing  works  in  keeping  with  both  that  life  and  that  friendship. 
In  other  words,  this  grace  flows  incessantly,  exuberantly  upon  us  if 
we  are  properly  disposed;  and,  by  its  presence  in  the  soul,  effects 
three  marvelous  results — first,  transforming;  then  justifying  and 
sanctifying;  finally,  energizing  the  soul  unto  a  capacity  for  super- 
natural merits. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

Sanctifying  grace  is  described  by  St.  Thomas  as  a  communication 
of  the  Divine  nature  The  first  great  result  of  its  infusion  into  the 
soul  is  that  it  becomes  closely  associated  with  God. 

ACTUAL   GRACE 

Actual  grace  is  a  passing  of  the  Lord  in  our  lives.  If  through 
our  fault  we  miss  Him,  He  is  gone;  and  the  grace  lost  will  never 
return.  Zacheus  understood  what  it  was  worth  to  look  upon  the 
countenance  of  the  Lord.  If,  unlike  Him,  we  do  nothing.  He  will 
pass  unawares,  as  He  did  when  the  mob  rose  up  and  thrust  Him 
out  of  their  city  of  Nazareth  and  brought  Him  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast  Him  down 
headlong:  "But  he,  passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  went  His 
way."  Actual  grace  is  a  visitation.  If  we  receive  Him  not  into  the 
house  of  our  souls,  as  did  the  publican,  to  our  house  salvation  will 
not  come. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE  NECESSITY  OF  GRACE 

Here  is  a  stone.  It  exists,  but  has  not  feeling.  And  feeling  it 
can  not  give  itself,  or  have,  unless  the  almighty  Power  which  created 
it  interfere  to  operate  a  miraculous  change.  So  is  it  supernatural, 
so  to  speak,  for  a  mountain  or  tree  to  move  about  and  walk.  A 
fish  can  not  run  or  fly  about  in  the  air  above,  nor  can  the  beast  rea- 
son and  talk,  for  such  manners  of  being  and  of  doing  are  not  accord- 
dng  to  the  nature  which  God  gave  them,  but  belong  to  natures 
superior  to  theirs,  and  are  therefore  supernatural  to  them.     And  so, 


174    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

because  left  to  himself  man  disposes  only  of  natural  means,  he  can 
not  without  grace  attain  to  the  higher  life  to  which  he  is  called,  or 
even  strive  after  it  by  a  becoming  service,  or  even  aim  at  so  lofty 
a  goal.  No  supernatural  work  of  any  kind  can  be  accomplished  by 
the  unaided  forces  of  nature;  nothing  "according  to  God"  can  be 
performed  except  with  the  assistance  of  grace. 

— John  H.   Staplcton. 

No  man  can  come  to  Me.  unless  it  be  given  him  by  My  Father. 

—John  VI,  66. 

Unless  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labour  in  vain  that  build  it. 

—Ps.  CXXVI,  I. 

Oh  !  how  exceedingly  necessary  is  Thy  grace  for  me,  O  Lord,  to 
begin  that  which  is  good,  to  go  forward  with  it,  and  to  accomplish  it. 
Without  it  I  can  do  nothing.  But  I  can  do  all  things  in  Thee, 
strengthened  by  Thy  grace.  O,  truly  heavenly  grace,  without  which 
we  have  no  merits  of  our  own,  neither  are  any  of  the  gifts  of  nature 
to  be  valued  !  No  arts,  no  riches,  no  beauty  nor  strength,  no  wit  nor 
eloquence,  are  of  any  worth  with  Thee,  O  Lord,  without  grace.  For 
the  gifts  of  nature  are  common  to  the  good  and  bad;  but  grace,  or 
Divine  love,  is  the  proper  gift  of  the  elect,  and  they  that  are  adorned 
with  it  are  esteemed  worthy  of  eternal  life. — Thomas  a  Kcmpis. 

I  knoiv  that  there  dwelleth  not  in  me,  that  is  to  say,  in  uiy  flesh, 
that  zvhich  is  good.  For  to  will  is  present  zvith  me;  but  to  accomplish 
that  which  is  good  I  find  not. — For  the  good  which  I  will,  I  da  not; 
but  the  evil  which  I  will  not,  that  I  do. — Rom.  VII,  18-19. 

GRACE  A  GIFT  OF  GOD 

This  gift  is  Divine  in  a  fourfold  aspect.  First,  because  it  is  from 
God,  who  is  the  donor,  and  its  source.  Then,  it  is  a  gift  of  God,  for 
it  is  a  participation,  in  some  manner,  of  the  life  and  nature  of  God. 
a  communication  of  a  Divine  energy ;  a  virtue  not  belonging  to  the 
human  nature  with  which  we  are  endowed,  not  essentially  required 
by  it  as  such,  infinitely  beyond  and  above  any  force  that  can  be 
conceived  within  or  without  man  in  the  order  of  pure  nature.  Thirdly, 
this  bounty  of  grace  is  for  God,  its  purpose  being  for  God's  glory, 
to  make  possible  in  us  a  certain  shaping  and  form  of  life  and  action 
in  this  world,  which  alone  can  insure  salvation  and  eternal  happiness 
for  us  in  the  next;  to  assist  us  in  doing  and  living  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  after  a  manner  pleasing  to  Him  and  worthy  of  a  reward. 
Finally,  through  God  in  Christ  is  it  procured  for  us  and  bestowed 
upon  us,  since  to  it  we  have  no  rightful  claim  or  title,  do  not  and  can 
not  deserve  it,  are  insufficient  to  procure  it  for  ourselves:  Christ  alone 
obtained  it  for  us;  He,  suffering  and  dying  merited  for  us;  and  His 
merits  purchased  for  us  this  gift,  the  means  of  our  salvation. 

— John  11.  Staplcton. 

IV hat  doth  it  profit  God  if  thou  be  justf  or  what  dost  thou  give 
Him  if  thy  zvay  be  unspotted-' — Job  XXII,  3. 


GRACE;    THE  MEANS  Oh'  GRACE  175 

God  giveth  grace  to  the  humble. — James  IV,  6. 

It  is  God  ivho  zvorketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  accomplish, 
according  to  His  good  will.  And  do  yc  all  things  without  ninrtnurings 
and  hesitations. — Phil.  II,  13,  14. 

By  grace  you  are  saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  of  yourselves; 
for  it  is  the  gift  of  God, — Not  of  works,  that  no  man  may  qlory. 

—Eph.  II,  8-9. 

INSPIRATIONS 

By  inspirations  are  meant  all  those  interior  attractions,  motions, 
reproaches  and  remorses,  lights  and  conceptions,  which  God  excites 
in  us,  preceding  our  hearts  with  His  blessings,  through  His  fatherly- 
care  and  love,  in  order  to  awaken,  stimulate,  urge  and  attract  us  to 
the  practice  of  every  virtue;  to  heavenly  love;  to  good  resolutions; 
and  in  a  word,  to  everything  that  may  help  us  on  our  way  to  eternal 
happiness.  This  is  what  the  Spouse  calls  knocking  at  the  door,  and 
speaking  to  the  heart  of  his  spouse;  awaking  her  when  she  sleeps; 
calling  after  her  when  she  is  absent;  inviting  her  to  gather  apples 
and  flowers  in  his  garden ;  to  sing  and  to  cause  her  sweet  voice  to 
sound  in  his  ears. — St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

THE  WILL  TO  BE  SAVED  ESSENTIAL 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas  was  once  asked  by  his  sister  what  she  must 
do  in  order  to  be  saved.  Without  a  moment's  reflection  he  replied : 
"You  can  be  saved  if  you  will."  She  begged  him  to  explain  his 
meaning  and  he  replied:  "If  you  have  the  will,  you  can  abandon  the 
vanities  of  the  world,  you  can  avoid  evil,  you  can  do  good.  If  you 
have  the  will,  you  can  be  chaste,  patient  and  gentle.  If  you  have 
the  will,  you  can  do  God's  will  in  all  things.  If  you  have  the  will, 
you  can  increase  God's  grace  within  you,  and,  by  means  of  sanctifying 
grace,  you  can  be  saved." 

THE  WILL  MUST  PRODUCE  DEEDS 

The  consent  being  given,  you  must  diligently  procure  the  effects, 
and  hasten  to  put  the  inspiration  into  execution,  which  is  the  height 
of  true  virtue;  for  to  have  the  consent  within  the  heart  without 
producing  its  effects  would  be  like  planting  a  vine  and  not  intending 
it  should  bring  forth  fruit. — St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

GRACE  OF  NO  AVAIL  UNLESS  WE  CO-OPERATE 

If  any  one  asks  why,  if  God  gives  every  man  sufficient  grace,  so 
many  are  lost — we  can  only  reply  that  Lucifer  received  far  more 
grace  than  other  blessed  spirits,  and  yet  he  was  cast  into  hell.  Judas 
undoubtedly  received  as  much  grace  as  the  other  Apostles,  and  yet 
he  perished. — P.  Hchel,  S.  J. 

CO-OPERATION  1V^TH  GR.'iCE 

"God,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "has  created  us  without  our  co-opera- 
tion, but  He  will  not  save  us  without  it."  In  a  word,  grace  will 
avail  us  unto  salvation  only  when  we  make  the  necessary  efforts  on 
our  part  to  be  saved.     Divine  grace,  we  should  be  persuaded,  will  not 


176    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

do  everything  for  us,  for  it  is  only  a  help  to  our  personal  exertions, 
which  are  as  indispensable  as  grace  itself  to  our  salvation. 

To  illustrate  this  let  us  recall  an  ancient  pagan  fable.  A  teamster's 
heavily  laden  wagon  was  stuck  in  a  deep  rut,  from  which  his  team 
could  not  extricate  it.  He  then  began  to  invoke  aloud  the  aid  of 
Jupiter  very  earnestly.  For  hours  he  kept  on  crying  out  with  all 
his  might:  "O  Jupiter,  the  mightiest  of  the  gods,  help  me  out  of 
this !"  But  it  was  all  in  vain,  for  the  wagon  did  not  move.  Hearing 
his  cries  to  Jupiter  a  passer-by  said  to  him:  "Friend,  Jupiter  will 
never  help  a  lazy  man  like  you;  first  help  yourself  and  put  your 
shoulder  to  the  wheel,  and  then  you  may  expect  Jupiter  to  help  you." 
The  teamster  followed  the  good  advice,  and  in  a  moment  the  wagon 
was  out  of  the  rut. — F.  Girardcy,  C.  SS.  R. 

While  men  were  asleep  his  enemy  came  and  oversowed  cockle 
among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way. — Matt.  XHI,  25. 

The  virgins  who  slept,  and  whose  lamps  were  not  filled  before 
the  coming  of  the  Spouse,  were  excluded  from  the  Eternal  Nuptials. 

—(Sec  Matt.  XXV.) 

My  Son,  give  Me  thy  heart;  and  let  thy  eyes  keep  My  ways. 

—Prov.  XXn,  26. 

God  does  not  carry  on  His  work  alone.  He  does  not  act  directly 
in  the  world  of  nature  or  of  grace,  but  chooses  intermediaries,  works 
through  secondary  causes.  Each  day  He  gives  us  our  daily  bread, 
but  it  is  on  the  condition  that  some  shall  labour  in  producing,  and 
some  in  gaining  means  to  purchase  it.  He  is  the  source,  but  there  are 
those  who  act  as  dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God.  It  is  He  who 
gives  the  increase  to  the  Church ;  but  some  must  sow  and  some  must 
water  the  crop.  He  founded  the  Church,  but  it  was  by  the  labours 
and  preaching  of  the  apostles.  Jesus  Christ  is  our  Head,  our  Ruler, 
our  Teacher;  but  He  has  bidden  us  to  hear  His  infallible  voice,  and 
render  our  unquestioning  obedience,  through  His  Vicar  on  earth 
and  the  bishops  appointed  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  treasures  of 
grace  are  open  to  us,  but  they  come  through  the  channel  of  Sacra- 
ments administered  by  men,  or  through  our  own  exertions  in  prayer. 
God  demands  the  aid  of  men  in  His  work. — Bishop  Bellord. 

What  things  a  man  shall  sow,  those  also  shall  he  reap.  For  he 
that  soweth  in  the  flesh,  of  the  flesh  also  shall  reap  corruption.  But 
he  that  soweth  in  the  Spirit,  of  the  Spirit  shall  reap  Life  Everlasting. 

—Gal.  VI,  8. 

WE  MUST  FIGHT  OUR  BATTLES 

Had  our  Lord  remained  with  them,  who  can  say  whether  they 
would  have  shown  the  boldness,  the  initiative,  the  resourcefulness 
that  they  manifested  during  the  years  of  their  lives  that  were  spent 
lacking  His  presence.  It  might  easily  have  been  that  they  would 
have  wanted  to  keep  near  Him,  to  depend  on  His  counsel  for  every 
action.  At  any  rate,  His  way  of  perfecting  them  was  to  throw  them 
on  their  own   responsibility  and  let  them  win  their  battles  with  the 


GRACE;   THE  MEANS   OF  GRACE  177 

unseen  helps  of  His  jjrace.  At  the  battle  of  Crecy,  an  ancient 
chronicler  informs  us,  King  Edward  the  Third  of  England  took  his 
stand  on  a  hillock  with  the  reserves  and  sent  his  son,  the  Black 
Prince,  to  bear  the  first  shock  of  the  French  chivalry.  For  a  time  the 
Prince's  small  force  seemed  lost  in  the  fierce  onslaught,  but  the 
King  refused  to  send  him  aid.  "Is  he  dead,  or  unhorsed,  or  so 
wounded  that  he  cannot  help  himself?"  he  asked  the  envoy.  "No, 
sire,"  was  the  reply,  "but  he  is  in  a  hard  passage  of  arms,  and 
sorely  needs  your  help."  "Return  to  those  that  sent  you,  Sir 
Thomas,"  said  the  King,  "and  bid  them  not  to  send  again  so  long  as 
my  son  lives.  Let  the  boy  win  his  spurs;  for  if  God  so  orders  it,  I 
will  that  the  day  may  be  his,  and  that  the  honour  may  be  with  him 
and  them  to  whom  I  have  given  it  in  charge." — Francis  P.  Duffy. 

Sozv  for  yourselves  in  justice  and  reap  in  the  mouth  of  mercy, 
break  up  your  falloii)  ground;  hut  the  time  to  seek  the  Lord  is  when 
He  shall  come  that  shall  teach  you  justice. — Os.  X,  12. 

CSE  AND  ABUSE  OF  GRACE 

When  in  sickness  or  misfortune  we  are  reminded  of  our  frail 
hold  on  life  and  impelled  to  make  a  better  use  of  what  remains; 
when  a  friend  or  acquaintance  is  suddenly  called  before  his  Maker 
and  a  warning  voice  tells  to  put  our  own  house  in  order ;  when  a 
word  is  dropped  in  a  sermon  or  uttered  in  the  confessional  that 
sounds  like  a  message  from  Heaven,  all  these  are  actual  graces,  on 
the  use  or  abuse  of  which  our  very  salvation  may  hang.  H  St.  Paul, 
or  St.  Augustine,  or  St.  Ignatius  had  persistently  refused  to  pay 
heed  to  God's  call,  their  lives  would  have  had  a  very  different  ending. 
Indeed,  we  may  say  that  the  great  difference  between  notorious  evil- 
doers and  good  Christians  lies  in  the  good  or  bad  use  of  their  actual 
grace. — IV.  Graham. 

THE  USE  OF  GRACE 

Had  Martin  Luther  watched  the  first  grace  that  came  to  him,  had 
he  heard  the  knock  at  the  door  of  his  soul  and  allowed  the  Lord 
to  enter,  had  he  been  faithful  to  the  graces  of  self-command  and 
self-denial  that  came  to  him,  he  would  have  been  a  cedar  of  Libanus, 
a  mighty  reformer,  a  source  of  great  blessings  to  the  Church.  As 
there  was  no  growth  in  him,  there  wa^  decay,  and  the  festerings  of 
his  soul  spread  disease  and  disorder.  His  illustrious  and  saintly 
contemporary,  Charles  Borromeo,  on  the  contrary,  nurtured  every 
ray  of  grace  that  pierced  his  soul;  his  was  the  good  soil,  and  it 
brought  forth  fruit  a .  hundredfold.  "In  the  sanctity  and  justice 
before  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  his  life,  he  grew,  suffering  the  Spirit 
to  lead  him  whither  he  would,  until,  with  a  soul  strong  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  he  became,  in  the  Master's  own  good  time,  the  much-needed 
and  true  reformer  of  the  Church." — /.  W.  Sullivan. 

GRATITUDE  FOR  GRACE 

Gratitude  for  graces  received  is  one  of  the  best  means  for  obtain- 
ing new  graces. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 


178    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

The  hope  of  the  unthankful  shall  melt  away  as  the  zmnter^s  ice, 
and  shall  run  off  as  unprofitable  water. — IVis.  XVI,  29. 

OUR  DUTY  TO  SEEK  LIGHT  AND  TRUTH 

God  did  not  give  us  a  mind  proof  against  error  and  vice ;  no 
more  did  he  give  us  a  conscience  proof  against  deception.  All  these 
powers,  mind  and  heart  and  conscience,  must  be  moulded  and  trained 
and  educated  in  the  right  way.  If  a  Christian  chooses  to  remain 
in  wilful  ignorance  of  what  it  is  his  boundcn  duty  to  know — if  he  is 
blindly  obstinate  against  light  and  truth — if  he  listens  only  to  the 
voice  of  his  own  individual  or  national  prejudices  against  plain 
reason  and  good  sense — if  he  frequents  bad  company,  reads  bad 
books,  studies  anti-religious  and  immoral  literature,  how  can  he  hope 
to  preserve  a  true,  God-inspired  and  enlightened  conscience? 

— W.  Graham. 

GRACE  PURSUING  MAN 

During  the  French  Revolution  there  lived  at  Lyons  a  man  who 
for  many  years  had  discarded  religious  practices  of  all  kinds.  It 
happened  one  day  that  he  saw  a  priest  carrying  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment to  a  sick  person.  Wishing  to  avoid  him,  the  man  turned  into 
another  street,  but  great  was  his  astonishment  to  find  that  the 
clergyman  with  his  precious  burden  was  coming  the  same  way. 
Again  the  man  tried  a  different  road,  and  again  the  priest  followed. 
At  last  the  man  took  refuge  in  an  open  doorway,  only  to  see  the 
priest  directing  his  steps  towards  him,  for  in  that  very  house  lived 
the  sick  person.  Deeply  moved  by  this  evident  invitation  of  Divine 
grace,  he  exclaimed:  "See  how  God's  mercy  is  pursuing  me!  I 
shall  resist  no  longer.  From  this  very  hour  I  believe  as  firmly  as 
of  old." — Frederick  Renter. 

You  have  not  chosen  Me,  but  I  have  chosen  yon;  and  have  ap- 
pointed vou,  that  you  should  ^0,  and  shoidd  bring  forth  fruit. 

—John  XV,  16. 

Behold,  I  stand  at  the  gate  and  knock.  If  any  man  shall  hear 
My  voice,  and  open  to  Me  the  door,  I  zvill  come  in  to  him,  and  infill 
sup  zvith  hint,  and  he  with  Me. — Apoc.  Ill,  20. 

Knoivest  thou  not  that  the  benignity  of  God  Icadeth  thee  to 
penance? — Rom.  II.  4. 

This  is  the  work  of  God  that  you  believe  in  Him  zchom  He  had 
sent. — John  VI,  29. 

THE   MEANS  GOD   USES 

To  us,  it  does  not  belong  to  judge  what  are  the  most  proper 
means  to  be  employed,  whether  natural  or  miraculous.  To  God 
they  are  both  equally  easy,  and  the  Christian  religion  assures  us  that 
sometimes  He  uses  one  and  sometimes  the  other — sometimes  He 
procures  the  sanctity  and  perfection  of  His  servants  (and  we  may 
add  their  temporal  health,  happiness,  and  well-being)  by  ordinary 
and    natural    means,    and    sometimes    He    employs    miraculous   and 


GRACE;    THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE  179 

extraordinary  means  for  this  purpose,  as  He  in  His  wisdom  judges 
proper.  But  it  cannot  be  denied  that  it  is  most  becoming  the  Divine 
goodness  and  wisdom  to  use  means  for  attaining  His  views  which 
are  most  proper  and  conducive  thereto. — Bishop  Hay. 

THE  GRACE   OF  CONVERSION 

If  God  is  all-powerful  over  the  mind  and  heart,  why  does  He  not 
move  all  the  Buddhists  and  Hindus  to  become  Catholics?  Why 
does  He  require  all  this  amount  of  laborious  enterprise  such  as  is 
represented  by  the  work  of  our  foreign  missions?  Surely  to  do  so 
would  be  a  far  more  useful  miracle  than  the  turning  of  water  into 
wine  or  the  raising  up  of  the  dead  to  life  !  The  answer  is  that  Christ 
could  and  did  use  the  direct  way  of  converting  souls  as  well  as  the 
indirect  way.  And  even  to-day  God  does  move  souls  to  Himself 
secretly  rather  than  openly.  It  was  the  opinion  of  the  late  Cardinal 
Vaughan  that  the  numerous  conversions  in  England  could  not  be 
accounted  for  by  preaching,  but  must  rather  be  attributed  to  grace 
acting  directly  in  answer  to  prayer. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

WHAT  GOD  OFFERS  US 

Suppose  some  powerful  prince  were  to  approach  a  poor  man  and 
address  him  in  this  way:  "Now,  my  poor  man,  I  will  make  you  an 
offer.  If  you  will  do  a  little  easy  work  for  me,  and  just  behave 
yourself  decently  for  one  short  day  of  twelve  hours,  I  will  make  you 
rich  and  prosperous  for  fifty  years.  Nay,  I  will  make  you  a  still 
better  offer.  If  you  will  be  honest  and  industrious  and  work  at 
the  simple  task  I  will  give  you  to  do  during  the  space  of  one  single 
hour,  I  will  give  you  everything  you  desire  for  fifty  years,  and  I 
will  take  you  into  my  own  house,  and  you  will  be  treated  as  my 
son,  and  I  will  have  my  servants  to  wait  on  you,  and  my  carriages 
at  your  service."  What  would  you  say?  Well,  you  would  be  inclined, 
firstly,  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the  offer.  You  would  ask:  "Do 
I  understand  you  aright?  Am  I  to  have  fifty  long  years  of  such 
delight  in  exchange  for  one  short  hour  of  easy  work?"  And  again 
the  prince  would  assure  you  that  it  is  so.  Well,  you  would,  of 
course,  accept  such  terms  with  the  greatest  gratitude  and  delight. 
Yet,  this  is  nothing  compared  to  what  God  offers  us. 

— Bishop  Joint  S.  Vaughan. 

GRACE  CONVEYED  THROUGH  KIND  WORDS 

In  the  French  revolution,  when  so  many  priests  were  put  to 
death,  there  was  a  wicked  woman  who  would  shamefully  insult 
the  priests  on  their  way  to  be  guillotined.  One  day  when  she  was 
thus  insulting  a  holy  priest  about  to  be  executed,  the  priest  turned 
to  her,  saying:  "Madam,  please  pray  for  me."  This  request  so  struck 
her  that  she  stopped  insulting  him,  burst  into  tears  and  went  home 
greatly  moved.  She  could  not  rid  herself  of  the  thought  of  praying 
for  the  priest,  and  she,  who  had  led  an  awful  life  and  had  not 
said  a  prayer  for  many  years,  began  to  pray,  and  was  soon  so 
thoroughly  converted  that,  for  the  remainder  of  her  life,  she  gave 
great  edification. — Ferreol  Girardey.  C.  SS.  R. 


180    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

SUFFICIENT   GRACE 

It  is  a  doctrine  of  Catholic  faith  that  as  long  as  the  soul  is  in 
its  state  of  probation,  there  is  grace  awaiting  it  sufficient  for 
salvation. 

Divide  a  moment,  as  men  measure  time, 
Into  its  million-million-millionth  part, 
and  even  in  that  last  infinitesimal  portion  of  life  Divine  strength  is 
given  to  the  soul  for  all  its  needs.  It  is  given,  moreover,  with  all 
the  fulness  and  willingness  of  every  other  grace,  whether  at  the 
beginning  or  at  any  moment  during  life.  Nay,  were  it  possible,  it 
would  be  given  with  still  greater  willingness,  for  in  that  moment 
lies  hell's  last  chance ;  and  we  can  not  but  think  that  Infinite 
Goodness  would  do  everything  compatible  with  its  own  very  existence 
to  thwart  that  chance.  The  Jansenist  prayed:  "From  all  sufficient 
grace,  good  Lord  deliver  us ; "  insinuating  that  the  merely  suflficient 
grace  was  insufficient.  If  the  grace  were  not  powerful  enough  to 
enable  the  siimer  to  overcome  all  his  sins,  then  it  were  not  sufficient; 
and  if  it  were  powerful  enough  to  enable  him  to  overcome  all  his 
sins,  then  no  more  were  needed. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee:  for  power  is  made  perfect  in 
infirmity.  Gladly  therefore  zvill  I  glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the 
power  of  Christ  may  dzvell  in  me. — For  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
powerful. — II.  Cor.  XII,  9,  sq. 

WE  CAN  DO  GOOD  ONLY  WITH  THE  HELP  OF  GOD 

Those  who  believe  themselves  the  authors  of  the  good  they  have 
done,  or  who  flatter  themselves  with  having  the  least  share  in  the 
world  in  it,  or  take  complacency  in  such  thoughts,  lose  more  than 
they  .gain,  even  when  the  works  on  which  they  are  engaged  are 
good  and  holy. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

Without  Me  you  can  do  nothing. — John  XV,  5. 

WITHOUT   GRACE  AVTE  CANNOT  AVOID   SIN 

So  has  the  race  of  men  been  depraved,  that,  even  when  they 
have  done  violence  to  their  concupiscence,  and  subjected  it  to  the 
Divine  will,  yet  they  cannot  avoid  sin  without  God's  assistance,  by 
which  we  are  protected  from  evil  and  directed  to  good.  Therefore 
we  must  beseech  God  to  perfect  in  us  what  He  has  begun ;  to  repress 
the  turbulent  motions  of  desire;  to  render  our  appetites  subject  to 
reason;  to  make  us,  in  fine,  entirely  conformable  to  His  will.  We 
also  pray  that  the  whole  world  may  receive  the  knowledge  of  God's 
will  (i  Tim.  ii,  4)  ;  that  "the  mystery  of  God,  hidden  from  ages  and 
generations"  (Col.  i,  26,  sq.;  Eph.  iii,  4,  sq.),  may  be  made  known 
and  manifest  to  all. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

WITHOUT  GRACE  WE  CANNOT  LOVE  OR  SERVE  GOD 

And  if  we  accomplish  some  things,  they  are  trivial,  and  of  little 
or  no  moment  towards  the  attainment  of  heavenly  bliss ;  but  never 
shall  we  be  able,  unless  assisted  by  Divine  grace,  to  love  and  serve 
God  as  we  ought,  which  is  something  greater  and  more  exalted  than 


PRAYER  181 

in    our   present   prostrate   condition    we   can   accomplish   by    human 
strength. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

Who  distinguisheth  thee?  Or  ivhat  hast  thou  that  thou  hast 
not  received f  And  if  thou  hast  received:  why  dost  thou  glory,  as 
if  thou  hadst  not  received  it? — I  Cor.  IV,  7. 


PRAYER 

PKAYEB 

It  is  a  great  and  blessed  privilege  that  we  can  pray  to  God, 
though  we  seldom  stop  to  think  of  this,  and  perhaps  for  this  very 
reason  fail  to  make  use  of  the  privilege  as  we  ought.  It  is  hard 
for  the  poor  and  lowly  ones  of  this  world  to  gain  favours  from  the 
wealthy  and  the  great;  hard  even  to  have  access  to  them.  For  the 
most  part  they  can  only  present  their  petitions  through  others,  and 
if  they  themselves  venture  to  present  them,  they  run  the  risk  of 
being  turned  away  and  even  treated  with  contempt.  But  the  lowliest 
of  the  low  can  at  any  moment  of  the  day  or  night  gain  admittance  to 
the  audience  chamber  of  the  King  of  Kings,  and  is  sure  to  be  made 
welcome.  "Come  to  Me,"  are  His  words  of  standing  invitation,  "all 
ye  who  labour  and  are  heavy-laden  and  I  will  refresh  you." 

But  prayer  is  more  than  a  privilege,  it  is  a  duty;  more  even  than 
a  duty:  it  is  a  necessity.  We  must  ask  if  we  would  receive,  seek  if 
we  would  find,  knock  if  we  would  have  the  door  of  Heaven  opened 
to  us.  It  is  of  faith  that  no  one  who  has  come  to  the  use  of  reason 
can  be  saved  without  prayer..  If  you  clip  the  wings  off  a  bird  it 
can  not  fly,  it  can  not  soar  aloft  into  its  own  element  and  be  happy 
in  the  companionship  of  its  mates.  So  the  soul  of  man  can  never 
mount  upward  without  prayer,  can  never  join  the  blessed  company 
of  the  angels  and  the  Saints  in  the  happy  home  above.  What  the 
air  we  breathe  is  to  the  life  of  the  body,  that  prayer  is  to  the  life  of 
the  soul.  And  as  we  know  a  man  is  dead  when  he  ceases  to  breathe 
the  vital  air,  so  we  know  that  the  soul  of  the  man  who  lifts  not  his 
voice  in  prayer  is  dead  within  him. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

St.  Thomas  teaches  us  that  prayer  is  preeminent  among  the 
acts  of  the  virtue  of  religion.  "It  belongs  properly  to  the  virtue 
of  religion  to  give  due  reverence  and  honour  to  God,  and  hence  all 
those  things  by  which  such  reverence  is  shown  to  God  come  under 
religion.  By  prayer,  however,  a  man  shows  reverence  to  God  inas- 
much as  he  submits  himself  to  Him,  and  by  praying  acknowledges 
that  he  views  God  as  the  Author  of  all  his  good." 

— C.  M.  Thuente.  O.  P. 

Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  if  you  ask  the  Father  anything  in  My 
Name,  He  will  give  it  to  you. — Hitherto  you  have  not  asked  anything 
in  My  Name:  ask,  and  you  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  he  full. 

— John  XVI,  23-24. 


182    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

You  shall  call  upon  Me,  and  you  shall  go:  and  you  shall  pray  to 
Me,  and  I  will  hear  you. — You  shall  seek  Me,  and  shall  find  Me,  when 
you  shall  seek  Me  iviih  all  your  heart. — Jer.  XXIX,  12-13. 

If  any  of  you  want  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all 
vicn  abundantly,  and  upbraidcth  not:  and  it  shall  be  given  him.  But 
let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering. — For  he  that  wavereth  is  like 
a  wave  of  the  sea,  which  is  moved  and  carried  about  by  the  zvind. — 
Therefore  let  not  that  man  think  that  he  shall  receive  anything  of 
the  Lord. — James  I,  5-7. 

Yon  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  you  ask  amiss:  that  you  may 
consume  it  on  your  concupiscences. — James  IV,  3. 

O  God,  my  God,  to  Thee  do  I  watch  at  break  of  day.  For  Thee 
my  soul  lialk  thirsted;  for  Thee  my  flesh.  O  how  many  ways! 

—Ps.  LXII,  1-2. 

Let  us  go  with  confidence  to  the  Throne  of  Grace:  that  we  may 
obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  in  seasonable  aid. — Hcb.  IV,  16. 

When  thou  shalt  pray,  enter  into  thy  chamber,  end  having  shut 
the  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  in  secret:  and  thy  Father,  Who  seeth 
in  secret,  will  repay  thee. — Matt.  VI,  6. 

Pray  one  for  another,  that  you  may  be  saved.  For  the  continual 
prayer  of  a  just  man  availcth  much. — James  V,  16. 

RELIGION   IRirOSSIBLE   WITHOUT   PRAYER 

Despite  his  thorough  familiarity  with  Catholic  teaching.  Cardinal 
Newman  confessed  that  before  his  conversion  he  knew  nothing  what- 
ever of  the  inner  life  of  Catholics.  We  are  frequently  astonished  on 
conversing  with  honest  Protestants  at  their  utter  incapacity  to  sense 
the  meaning  of  Catholic  things;  Catholic  spirituality  speaks  to  them 
in  a  language  as  foreign  as  that  of  the  dead  tribes  of  the  Aztecs. 
A  similar  condition  is  soon  born  in  the  mind  and  soul  of  him  who 
without  prayer  continues  for  a  while  outwardly  to  practice  a  form 
of  religion.  There  is  no  substance  to  such  a  religion,  for  it  is  empty  of 
its  reality  which  is  prayer.  And  it  is  bound  in  the  long  run  to 
mean  nothing  to  him  more  than  a  tissue  of  parables,  proverbs  and 
enigmas,  in  which  he  comes  to  see  no  sense,  reason  or  utility,  into 
whose  life  he  does  not  enter,  and  cannot  because  he  no  longer 
comprehends. — John  H.  Stapleton. 

THE  LORD'S  PRAYER 

The  prayer  itself  is  so  touchingly  clear  and  simple  that  it  carries 
its  message  to  every  heart,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  it  seems  almost 
profane  to  analyze  or  dissect  it.  But  the  more  we  examine  even  the 
simplest  of  God's  works  the  more  admirable  they  seem.  Reflection 
brings  to  light  most  complex  mysteries  in  apparently  the  simplest 
and  most  commonplace  objects  in  Nature — e.  g.,  a  drop  of  water, 
a  sunbeam,  the  song  of  birds,  or  scent  of  flowers.     We  see  herein 


PRAYER  183 

the  mind  of  God  at  work,  all  things,  "in  number,  weight  and  measure," 
"reaching  from  end  to  end  mightily,  and  disposing  all  things 
sweetly."  So  it  is  with  the  Lord's  Prayer.  It  is  an  epitome  of 
God's  relations  and  dealings  with  His  creatures.  It  sums  up,  in  a 
measure,  theology,  doctrinal  and  moral.  It  is  a  sort  of  spiritual 
cell  which  involves,  and  from  which  by  reflection  we  can  evolve, 
the  whole  body  of  Christ's  teaching.  Hence,  its  constant  use  by 
the  Church  in  her  liturgy,  in  the  Mass,  the  Divine  office,  the  Sacra- 
ments and  sacramentals,  as  well  as  her  binding  all  her  children  to 
learn  it  by  heart.  To  make  it  part  of  our  daily  tribute  of  worship, 
in  morning  and  evening  prayers,  is  deemed  by  all  a  matter  of 
conscience — a  duty  we  strictly  owe  to  almighty  God. 

— lyilliavi   Graham. 

FRAYER   IN   THE   NAME   OF  JESUS 

The  prayer,  "through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  is  not  infallible,  I 
grant,  in  the  sense  of  obtaining  anything  we  ask  for.  It  will  not 
necessarily  obtain  for  us  wealth,  pleasure,  freedom  from  sickness 
or  from  spiritual  trials.  For  notice  that  the  text  puts  a  restriction  on 
the  word  "anything,"  viz.,  "in  My  Name,"  and  "that  yonr  joy  m.-^.y 
be  full."  Our  prayer  is  addressed  to  a  Father  who  is  all-wise,  as 
well  as  all-loving,  and  such  a  Father  will  grant  anything  to  His 
dearly  loved  child,  but  only  if  it  is  for  that  child's  real  good.  True 
love  is  so  unselfish  as  to  refuse  when  harm  will  follow.  There  is 
great  selfishness  in  a  love  which  cannot  refuse  when  it  is  better  to  do 
so.  Real  love  for  us  has  our  Heavenly  Father.  He  wishes  for  us 
the  "fulness  of  joy"  rather  than  immediate  and  passing  gratification. 
St.  Gregory  says :  "You  have  not  asked  in  the  name  of  the  Saviour," 
because  you  have  not  known  how  to  ask  for  eternal  salvation. 
Hence  Paul  was  not  heard,  for  if  he  had  been  freed  from  his 
temptation  "it  would  not  have  been  conducive  to  his  salvation" 
(Cf.  II.  Cor.  xii). 

Prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus  infallibly  gains  for  us  what  is  really 
best  for  us.  When  we  come  to  our  Father's  home  we  shall  then 
appreciate  how  powerful  for  our  real  and  lasting  good  have  been 
the  prayers  offered  in  Jesus'  name ;  from  how  many  evils,  which 
to  us  in  our  blindness  seemed  advantages,  we  have  thereby  been 
saved;  that  many  of  the  seeming  hardships  and  miseries  of  life  have 
been  permitted  or  sent  by  a  watchful  Providence  as  a  reward  of 
such  prayer ;  and  that  many  things,  which  went  nigh  to  destroying 
our  faith  in  prayer,  have  been  amongst  the  great  graces  of  our  lives, 
in  that,  by  making  this  world  bitter  to  us,  they  saved  us  from  its 
many  dangers  and  deceptions.  We  must  be  full  of  faith  in  His 
love.  He  may  answer  us  "in  proverbs,"  but  the  time  will  surely 
come  when  He  will  no  more  speak  to  us  in  proverbs,  "but  will  show 
us  plainly  of  the  Father." — B.  Hayes,  O.  S.  B. 

RESPONSE  TO  PRAYER 

A  little  boy  in  a  crowd  comes  and  "prays"  me  to  lift  him  up, 
in  order  that  he  may  see  a  passing  procession.  Gravity  holds  him 
down.  But  I  can  overcome  gravity ;  and  in  answer  to  the  child's 
p-rayer,  I  can,  by  a  simple  act  of  the  will,  extend  my  arms  about  the 
child  and  exert  muscular  strength   enough  to  raise   him  above  the 


184    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  L\'STRUCTIONS 

heads  of  the  people  so  that  he  may  see.  Now,  when  God,  in  His 
turn,  answers  prayers,  He  does  but  do,  in  a  higher  and  sublimer 
and  in  a  Divine  way,  very  much  what  He  has  enabled  me  to  do  in  a 
smaller  and  mere  human  way. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

GOD  EVER  BEADY  TO  RECEIVE  OUR  PRAYER 

One  of  the  best  proofs  of  God's  goodness  and  love  is  His  readi- 
ness to  receive  our  prayers  and  supplications.  If  we  wish  to  unbur- 
den ourselves  about  our  difficulties  or  our  sorrows  to  an  earthly 
monarch  we  are  at  once  confronted  by  endless  obstacles.  We  have 
to  wait  till  it  suits  his  convenience  to  give  us  an  audience;  we  often 
have  to  travel  far,  and  to  spend  much  time,  and  to  take  much  trouble, 
before  we  are  ushered  into  his  presence,  and  even  then,  perhaps, 
he  scarcely  attends  to  our  words,  but  hastens  off  to  engage  himself 
in  more  congenial  occupation.  God,  on  the  contrary,  is  ever  ready 
to  harken  to  our  prayers  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night,  and 
will  open  His  ears  to  our  petitions,  which  such  infinite  tenderness 
and  patience  that  we  might  almost  imagine  that  there  were  no 
other  creature  in  existence  to  solicit  His  attention. 

He  not  only  suffers  us  to  address  Him  with  the  greatest  famili- 
arity, but  He  encourages  and  even  commands  us  to  do  so,  and  is 
never  better  pleased  than  when  we  are  asking  Him  for  graces  and 
blessings.  Though  He  is  infinitely  great  and  exalted  and  we  are 
so  poor  and  unworthy,  He  neither  despises  nor  repulses  us,  but  treats 
us  as  a  loving  father  treats  his  own  children. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

Louis  XVI,  King  of  France,  had  a  special  affection  for  one  of 
his  courtiers.  Whatever  this  man  asked  was  sure  to  be  granted. 
One  day  he  went  as  usual  to  ask  a  favour  from  the  king.  But  it 
happened  that  the  king  was  angry  at  this  time,  and  said  to  him 
in  a  passion:  "You  are  always  asking  me  for  something.  Are  you 
ever  going  to  stop?"  At  these  words  the  man  hung  down  his  head, 
and  went  away  disappointed.  Sometimes  our  request  may  be  refused 
by  people  in  this  world,  even  by  those  who  love  us,  but  God  will 
never  be  angry  with  us,  nor  refuse  us  when  we  pray  to  Him ;  on 
the  contrary,  He  is  angry  with  us  when  we  neglect  to  call  upon 
Him  in  our  needs. 

GOD     ANSWERS    PRAYER     WITHOUT     INTERFERING     WITH     HIS     ESTAB- 
LISHED  ORDER    OF   THINGS 

Is  God  less  able  than  man  to  work  His  will  in  His  own  creation  ? 
Man  may  flood  the  desert,  divide  the  course  of  a  river,  clear  a 
forest  and  drain  a  marsh ;  or  he  may  so  confine  and  entomb  a 
force  within  the  iron  boiler  of  a  steam  engine  as  to  make  it  fly 
through  space  along  its  railway  track  at  fifty  or  sixty  miles  an 
hour.  Is  there  any  interference  with  nature  here?  Is  there  any 
dislocation  of  the  harmony  of  things?  Evidently  not.  Man  merely 
plays  upon  the  forces  around  him,  as  a  harper  plays  upon  his  harp 
strings.  Man  can  not,  of  course,  annihilate  nor  can  he  create  so 
m.uch  as  a  grain  of  sand ;  nor  can  he  create  or  absolutely  destroy  the 
simplest  force;  but  what  he  can  do  is  to  acquaint  himself  with  the 


PRAYER  185 

characteristics  of  existing  forces,  to  direct  thein,  to  utilize  them,  to 
turn  them  to  account,  and  to  employ  them  for  various  purposes. 

Now,  what  God  does  in  answer  to  prayer  need  no  more  interfere 
with  the  established  order  of  the  universe  than  what  man  himself 
does.  There  need  be  no  more  "meddlino^"  and  "upsetting"  when 
God  interferes  to  bring  about  some  advantage,  or  to  ward  off  a 
calamity  from  a  person,  a  city,  or  a  nation  that  has  invoked  His 
aid,  than  when  I  interfere  by  my  free  will. — Bishop  John  S.  I'^auglian. 

EFFICACY  OF  PRAYER 

The  scriptural  history  of  the  great  prophet  Elias  is  rich  in 
instances  of  the  efficacy  of  prayer  to  move  the  heart  of  God,  and  to 
bring  down  His  graces  and  blessings.  Even  St.  James  in  his 
Epistle,  can  cite  no  better  example  to  move  us  to  confidence  and 
trust.  He  observes  that,  "Elias  was  a  man,  passable  like  us,  and 
with  prayer  he  prayed  that  it  might  not  rain  upon  the  earth, 
and  it  rained  not  for  three  years  and  six  months.  And  he  prayed 
again,  and  the  heaven  gave  rain,  and  the  earth  brought  forth  her 
fruit"  (v,  16-18).  But,  marvelous  as  this  was,  he  brought  about 
still  more  wonderful  results  by  the  same  simple  means.  He  raised 
the  dead  body  of  the  son  of  the  poor  widow  of  Sarepta  to  life;  he 
multiplied  the  pot  of  meal  and  the  little  cruse  of  oil,  which  was 
all  she  had  in  her  house,  so  that  they  sufficed  for  her  sustenance 
during  tlie  three  years  of  scarcity;  and  worked  many  other  wonders 
through  the  power  of  his  prayers. — Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  PRAYER 

Now,  devotion  is  that  true  spiritual  sugar  which  corrects  the 
bitterness  of  mortification  by  the  sweetness  of  its  consolations ;  it 
removes  discontent  from  the  poor;  solicitude  from  the  rich;  sadness 
from  the  oppressed ;  insolence  from  the  exalted ;  melancholy  from 
the  solitary,  and  dissipation  from  him  that  is  in  company.  It  serves 
as  well  for  fire  in  winter  as  for  dew  in  summer.  It  knows 
as  well  how  to  use  abundance  as  how  to  suffer  want,  and  how  to 
render  honour  and  contempt  equally  profitable.  In  a  word,  it  enter- 
tains pleasure  and  pain  with  equanimity,  and  replenishes  the  soul 
with  an  admirable  sweetness. — St.  Francis  dc  Sales. 

Prayer,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  "is  a  powerful  means  of 
warding  off  the  attacks  of  the  devil,  and  affords  us  protection  against 
all  dangers."  "It  preserves  moderation,  represses  anger,  checks 
pride  and  envy,  quiets  feelings  of  revenge,  draws  down  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  the  soul  and  raises  man  to  heaven"  (St.  Ephrem.). 
"Whosoever  arms  himself  with  prayer,  will  not  fall  into  sin,  but, 
detaching  himself  from  earth,  will  rise  to  Heaven"  (St.  John  Chrys.). 

PRAYER  NECESSARY 

After   Baptism   continual   prayer  is   necessary  to  man   in  order 

that  he  should  reach  Heaven ;  for,  though  by  Baptism  our  sins  are 
remitted  there  still  remains  concupiscence,  to  assail  us  from  within, 
as  well  as  the  world  and  the  devil  to  assail  us  from  without.  He 
further  explains  this  when  he  observes  that  prayer  is  necessary  not 


186    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

in  order  that  God  may  know  our  necessities,  but  in  order  that  we 
may  be  compelled  to  acknowledge  Him  as  the  one  and  only  supreme 
source  of  all  our  graces. — St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

All  the  adults  who  are  in  Heaven  are  there  because  they  prayed ; 
had  they  not  prayed,  they  would  never  have  reached  Heaven.  All 
who  are  in  hell  are  there  because  they  neglected  prayer;  had  they 
prayed,  they  would  not  be  in  hell,  but  in  Heaven.  Two  criminals 
died,  one  on  each  side  of  Jesus;  one  of  them  prayed  and  was  saved; 
the  other  did  not  pray,  and  was  lost. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

Since  it  is  impossible  without  natural  warmth  that  the  human 
body  thrives,  thus  the  life  of  the  soul  is  impossible  without  the 
warmth  of  prayer.  It  bestows  upon  the  soul  the  strength  to  produce 
meritorious  work. — St.  Thomas  of  Villanova. 

And,  if  the  angels  and  our  first  parents  could  not  maintain  them- 
selves in  innocence,  though  they  were  created  without  sin  and  with- 
out concupiscence,  how  far  more  impossible  must  it  be  for  us  to 
persevere  without  prayer,  who  are  born  in  original  sin,  and  with  so 
many  and  such  strong  natural  inclinations  to  evil. 

— Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

GRATITUDE  TO  GOI> 

We  should  at  least  spend  as  much  time  in  thanking  God  for 
favours  received  as  we  have  spent  in  asking  them. 

— St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

HUMBLE  PRAYER 

Thou  oughtest  to  seek  the  grace  of  devotion  earnestly,  to  ask 
it  fervently,  to  wait  for  it  patiently  and  confidently,  to  receive  it 
thankfully,  to  keep  it  humbly,  to  work  with  it  diligently,  and  to 
commit  to  God  the  time  and  manner  of  this  heavenly  visitation,  until 
it  shall  please  Him  to  come  unto  thee.  Thou  oughtest  chiefly  to 
humble  thyself  when  thou  feelest  inwardly  little  or  no  devotion: 
and  yet  not  to  be  too  much  dejected,  nor  to  grieve  inordinately. 
God  often  giveth  in  one  short  moment  what  He  hath  a  long  time 
denied.  He  giveth  sometimes  in  the  end.  that  which  in  the  beginning 
of  prayer  He  deferred  to  grant. — Thomas  a  Kcmpis. 

The  best  dispositions  which  we  can  bring  to  meditation  and  prayer 
are  humility,  a  conviction  of  our  own  nothingness,  a  mortification 
of  our  passions  and  of  the  natural  inclinations  that  lead  us  to  evil, 
purity  of  intention,  the  presence  of  God,  an  entire  conformity  to  His 
will,  and  frequent  aspirations  towards  the  Divine  goodness. 

— St.  Vincent  dc  Paul. 

PERSEVERANCE  IN  PRAYER 

For  sixteen  years  St.  Monica  prayed  fervently  and  performed 
penances  for  ihe  conversion  of  her  son  Augustine ;  and  by  her  earnest 
perseverance  she  not  only  obtained  his  conversion,  but  she  herself 
became  thereby  a  great  Saint,  a  wonderful  favour  which  she  had  not 
thought    of    praying    for.      "Let    us    not    cease    praying."    says    St. 


PRAYER  187 

Augustine,    "for    God    only    defers,    but    docs    not    refuse    to    hear 
us." — Fcrreol  Girardey,  C.  SS.  R. 

PRAY£R  AND  CHARITY 

The  prayer  most  likely  to  be  heard  by  God  is  the  prayer  that 
is  backed  up  by  works  of  charity. — St.  Leo  the  Great. 

PRAYER    FN    THOUGHT    RATHER    THAN    IN    WORDS 

Our  conversation  with  God  should  be  in  thought  rather  than  in 
many  words.  A  few  words  on  part  of  the  Publican  proved  his 
salvation.  A  single  petition  saved  the  penitent  thief.  Martha  said 
to  our  Lord  only  a  few  words :  "  Lord,  behold  he  whom  thou  lovest  is 
sick,"  and  her  prayer  was  heard. — St.  Jerome. 

ORDER  OF  PRAYER 

The  proper  order  is  first  to  render  thanks  to  God,  then  to  confess 
our  sinfulness,  and  repent  of  it,  then  to  submit  our  petition. 

— St.  Jerome. 

PRAY   FOR   GOD'S   ASSISTANCE 

Let  us  imagine  a  person  suspended  over  a  great  precipice  by 
a  cord  held  by  another.  Surely  he  would  constantly  cry  out  to  the 
person  who  supports  him :  Hold  fast,  hold  fast ;  for  God's  sake,  do 
not  let  go !  We  are  all  in  danger  of  falling  into  the  abyss  of  all 
crime,  if  God  does  not  support  us.  Hence  we  should  constantly 
beseech  him  to  keep  His  hands  over  us,  and  to  succour  us  in  all 
dangers. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

ATTENTION  IN  PRATER 

There  is  a  threefold  species  of  attention  which  may  find  place 
in  vocal  prayer,  according  to  our  Angelic  Doctor.  "One  by  which 
a  man  attends  to  tlie  words  which  he  recites,  and  is  careful  to  make 
no  mistake  in  them.  Another  by  which  he  attends  to  the  meaning 
of  the  words,  and  a  third  by  which  he  attends  to  the  end  of  all 
prayer — namely,  God  Himself — and  to  the  object  for  which  he  is 
praying.  And  this  species  of  attention  is  the  most  necessary  of 
all."  — C.  M.   Thuentc,   O.  P. 

DISTRACTIONS   IN   PRAYER 

St.  Bridget  suffered  much  in  this  way,  and  our  Lady  once  appeared 
to  her  and  said :  "The  devil  is  v/ont  to  torment  anyone  who  prays, 
and  to  send  him  as  many  distractions  as  he  can.  But  be  not  troubled 
on  that  account,  my  daughter,  for  though  you  may  suffer  from 
distractions,  you  can  always  have  an  earnest  desire  to  pray  well, 
and  then  your  prayer  will  be  pleasing  to  my  Son." 

A  MEANS  AGAINST  DISTRACTION 

St.  Francis  found  a  sure  means  of  keeping  his  mind  during 
prayer  free  from  all  external  pre-occupation.  Whenever  he  entered 
into  a  church  he  said :  "Worldly  and  frivolous  thoughts,  stay  you  at 
the  door  till  I  return  again."  Then  he  prayed  as  though  he  were 
alone  on  the  earth ;  his  devotion  was  so  great  that  he  seemed  not 
to  know  what  distraction  was. 


18S    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 
THE  SACRAMENTS 

THE  SACRAMENTS  AND  THEIR  EFFECT 

The  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence  of  our  Lord  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  the  continual  enforcement  of  it  in  all  the  ceremonies 
and  surroundings  of  worship,  does  more  than  anything  else  to  fix 
and  crystallize  into  solid  form  the  Catholic  perception  of  the  super- 
natural. The  Sacraments  have  the  same  effect;  they  are  not  to  us 
merely  comforting  forms,  or  dictates  of  piety  and  propriety,  but 
they  are  actual  remissions  of  sin,  a  conveyance  of  definite  powers. 
So  real  is  their  effect  on  the  soul  that  it  overflows  upon  the  body, 
changing  the  aspect  of  the  countenance ;  or,  as  with  Extreme  Unction, 
reducing  the  fevered  temperature  of  the  sick. — Bishop  Bellord. 

BAPTISM 

BAPTISM 

With  regard  to  the  definition,  although  many  may  be  adduced 
from  sacred  writers,  yet  that  which  may  be  understood  from  the 
vi'ords  of  Our  Lord,  in  John  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  appears 
more  appropriate  and  convenient;  for  since  Our  Saviour  says:  "Un- 
less a  man  be  born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God"  (John  ii,  5)  ;  and  the  Apostle,  when 
speaking  of  the  Church:  "Cleansing  it  by  the  laver  of  water  in  the 
Word  of  life"  (Eph.  V,  26)  ;  it  hence  follows  that  Baptism  may  be 
accurately  and  appositely  defined  to  be,  "The  Sacrament  of  regenera- 
tion by  water  in  the  Word ;"  for  by  nature  we  are  born  from  Adam 
children  of  wrath,  but  by  Baptism  we  are  regenerated  in  Christ 
children  of  mercy,  for  "He  gave  power  to  men  to  be  made  the  sons 
of  God,  to  them  that  believe  in  His  Name,  who  are  born  not  of  blood, 
nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God" 
(John  I,  12). — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

Unless  a  man  be  horn  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God. — John  HI,  5. 

Now  you  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners:  hut  yo\i  are 
fellow-citizens  with  the  Saints,  and  the  domestics  of  God: — Built  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
being  the  chief  Corner-stone. — Eph.  H,  19-20. 

Know  you  not  that  all  zvc,  zvho  are  baptized  in  Christ  Jesus,  are 
baptized  in  Plis  Death? — For  we  arc  buried  together  with  Him  by 
Baptism  into  death;  that  as  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead  by  the 
glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  also  may  walk  in  nczvness  of  life. — For 
if  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  His  Death,  zve 
shall  br  also  in  the  likeness' of  His  Resurrection. — Knowing  this,  that 
our  old  man  is  crucified  with  Him,  that  the  body  of  sin  may  be 
destroyed,  to  the  end  that  zve  may  serve  sin  no  longer. — Rom.  VI,  3-6. 

Peter  said  to  them:  Do  penance,  and  be  baptised  every  one  of  you 


BAPTISM  189 

in  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  your  sins:  and 
you  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — Acts  II,  38. 

He  that  bclicveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved. — Mark  XVI,  16. 

WHEN  THE  WTtLL  STANDS  FOR  THE  DEED 

As  there  are  cases  where  non-Baptism  is  accounted  Baptism,  so, 
in  similar  cases,  those  who  are  external  to  the  Church  are  accounted 
as  members  of  the  Church.  The  will  stands  for  the  deed.  Those 
who  are  desirous  of  obeyinof  God's  commands  have  already  obeyed 
them.  Even  though  they  be  ignorant  of  the  precise  thing  which  God 
wills,  and  do  not  consciously  desire  to  do  that  particular  thing,  yet 
they  have  an  implicit  desire  of  it.  The  love  of  God,  devout  service 
of  Him,  the  wish  to  know  His  will,  and  the  readiness  to  do  it  what- 
ever it  be,  this  contains  the  desire  to  receive  Baptism  or  to  enter  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  is  equivalent  to  actually  doing  so.  Thus  there 
are  some,  many  we  may  hope,  who  are  outside  the  visible  communion 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  yet  are  invisibly,  even  unconsciously, 
included  in  it.  They  do  not  know  of  the  duty  of  outward  conformity, 
they  are  not  classed  as  Catholics,  they  do  not  belong  to  the  Body  of 
the  Church;  but  they  are  said  to  belong  to  the  Soul  of  the  Church 
because  of  their  invisible  union  with  her  through  implicit  desire  of 
actual  union. — Bishop  Bellord. 

BAPTISM  THE  MOST  NECESSARY  OF  THE  SACRAMENTS 

Perhaps,  with  the  exception  of  Holy  Orders,  the  administration  of 
no  Sacrament  is  so  elaborate  as  that  of  Baptism.  The  Church,  no 
doubt,  wishes  thereby  to  impress  the  recipient  and  the  attendants 
with  the  importance  of  this  rite.  It  is  the  first  and  most  necessary 
of  the  Sacraments,  and  therefore  termed,  sometimes,  the  "gate  of  all 
the  Sacraments."  It  is  the  incorporation  into  the  mystical  body  of 
Christ,  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  and  entitles  us  to  participate  in 
all  the  privileges  of  a  Christian  here  on  earth,  and  to  look  forward 
to  the  everlasting  bliss  of  the  Church  triumphant  in  Heaven. 

— IV.  Lieber. 

THE  BAPTISM  OF  JOHN 

Christian  Baptism,  as  instituted  by  Christ,  differs  greatly  from 
the  rite  administered  by  St.  John  the  Baptist,  which  was  intended 
only  to  be  a  form  of  penance.  The  words  used  bv  St.  John  were 
not  the  same  as  those  used  by  Our  Lord,  and  his  Baptism  was  not 
necessary  to  salvation,  nor  did  infants  receive  it,  for  they  do  not 
need  penance.  St.  John's  Baptism  could  not  remove  either  original 
or  actual  sin,  and  was  not  a  Sacrament.  It  could  be  received  sev- 
eral times,  whereas  the  Baptism  of  Christ  can  be  received  but  once. 

—P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

SPONSORS 

We  easily  understand  to  what  sort  of  persons  the  administration 
of  this  holy  guardianship  should  not  be  intrusted;  namely,  to  those 
who  are  either  unwilling  to  discharge  it  faithfully,  or  unable  to  do  so 
assiduously  and  accurately.  Wherefore,  besides  the  natural  parents, 
who,  to  mark  more  strongly  how  much  this  spiritual  bringing  up 
differs  from  the  carnal,  are  not  permitted  to  undertake  that  charge, 


190     ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

heretics,  particularly  Jews  and  infidels,  are  altogether  to  be  forbidden 
this  office,  their  thoughts  and  cares  being  ever  occupied  in  obscuring 
by  falsehoods  the  truth  of  the  Faith,  and  subverting  all  Christian  piety. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  DUTIES  OF  SPONSORS 

So  negligently  is  this  office  treated  in  the  Church,  that  its  bare 
name  alone  is  left ;  but  of  the  sanctity  contained  therein  men  seem  not 
even  to  have  the  least  idea.  Let  all  sponsors,  then,  at  all  times 
recollect  that  they  are  bound  principally  by  this  law  to  exercise  a 
constant  vigilance  over  their  spiritual  children,  and  take  particular 
care  that  in  those  things  which  regard  the  formation  of  a  Christian 
life  they  approve  themselves  through  life  such  as  their  sponsors 
promised  they  should  be  by  the  solemn  ceremony.  On  this  subject  let 
us  hear  what  St,  Denis  writes  of  speaking  the  language  of  the 
sponsor:  "I  promise  by  my  assiduous  exhortations  to  induce  the  child, 
when  he  shall  arrive  at  a  knowledge  of  religion,  to  renounce  every- 
thing opposed  to,  and  to  profess  and  perform  the  sacred  promises 
which  he  makes."  St.  Augustine  also:  "I  most  especially  admonish 
you ;"  says  he,  "men  and  women  who  have  become  sponsors,  to  know 
that  you  stood  sureties  before  God  for  those  whom  you  have  been 
seen  to  receive  at  the  sacred  font."  And,  indeed,  it  eminently  be- 
comes him  who  has  undertaken  any  office,  to  be  indefatigable  in  the 
diligent  discharge  of  its  duties  ;  and  he  who  professed  to  be  the  teacher 
and  guardian  of  another,  should  on  no  account  suffer  him  to  be 
deserted  whom  he  once  received  under  his  trust  and  guardianship, 
so  long  as  he  shall  understand  him  to  have  occasion  for  his  care  and 
protection.  Speaking  of  this  same  office  of  sponsors,  St.  Augustine 
sums  up,  in  a  few  words,  the  lessons  of  instruction  which  ought  to 
be  impressed  by  them  on  their  spiritual  children;  for  he  says:  "They 
ought  to  admonish  them  to  observe  chastity,  love  justice,  cherish 
charity ;  and  above  all,  let  them  teach  them  the  Creed  and  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  the  Ten  Commandments  also,  and  what  are  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  the  Christian  religion." 

— Catechism' of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  CBniE  OF  WITHHOLDING  BAPTISM  FROM  CHILDREN 

To  kill  an  innocent  child  even  before  it  is  born,  is  a  dastardly 
murder.  To  kill  a  child  before  it  is  baptized  and  send  it  into  the 
next  world  without  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  is  a  heinous  crime 
for  which  God  will  deal  out  terrible  but  just  punishment. 

—P.  Hehel.  S.  J. 

<JOD'S  CHILD 

St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  was  a  great  Saint.  Although  the  ruler 
of  a  mighty  nation  he  was  not  proud,  because  he  remembered  that 
all  worldly  greatness  must  soon  pass  away,  and  he  thought  only  of 
that  eternal  kingdom  which  God  has  promised  to  give  to  those  who 
serve  Him  on  earth.  He  taught  his  children  to  do  the  same.  As  each 
of  them  was  brought  home  from  the  church  on  the  day  of  his 
Baptism,  he  would  take  him  into  his  arms  with  great  joy,  and  embrace 
him  tenderly,  saying:  "Dear  little  one,  until  now  you  were  only  my 
child,  but  to-day,  by  Baptism,  God  has  made  you  His  child.  May  His 
holy  Name  be  blessed  for  ever!" 


CONFIRMATION  191 

CONFIRMATION 

CONFIRMATION 

Confirmation  is  placed  second  on  the  list  of  the  Sacraments,  for 
two  reasons:  The  first  is,  that  in  the  early  Church  it  was  conferred 
immediately  after  Baptism.  The  second  is,  that  Confirmation  is  the 
complement  of  Baptism,  However,  we  must  not  think  it  therefore 
one  and  the  same  Sacrament  as  the  first,  nor  is  it  a  mere  rite  or 
public  profession  of  faith  in  the  presence  of  the  Bishop,  as  it  is 
understood  by  our  Anglican  brethren,  but  a  true  distinct  Sacrament. 
In  a  remarkable  passage  (Praescr.  40),  Tertullian  places  this  "seal- 
ing of  the  soldiers  on  the  forehead"  between  Baptism  and  the 
Eucharist,  plainly  indicating  thereby  that  Confirmation  is  a  "true 
and  proper  Sacrament"  according  to  the  Tridentine  doctrine.  The 
same  ditterence  that  exists  in  the  natural  life  between  birth  and 
growth,  exists  also  in  the  supernatural,  between  Baptism,  which 
gives  spiritual  life,  and  Confirmation,  which  strengthens  it. 

— JV.  Lieber. 

IV hen  the  Apostles,  who  were  in  Jerusalem,  had  heard  that 
Samaria  had  received  the  Word  of  God,  they  sent  unto  them  Peter 
and  John. — Who  when  they  were  come,  prayed  for  them  that  they 
might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. — For  He  was  not  yet  come  upon  any 
of  them:  but  they  were  only  baptized  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
— Then  they  laid  their  hands  upon  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy 
Ghost.— Acts  VIII,  14-17.      ' 

When  Paul  had  imposed  his  hands  on  them,  the  Holy  Ghost  came 
upon  them. — Acts  XIX,  6. 

THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 

THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  HOLT  EUCHARIST  THE  TOUCHSTONE  OF  FAITH 

And  even  now,  as  of  yore,  the  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  Eucharist 
is  the  touchstone  of  Divine  faith.  It  is  the  crucible  in  which  the 
sterling  gold  of  Divine  faith  is  separated  from  the  alloy  of  human 
opinion.  It  creates  that  immense  gulf  between  the  true  Church  and 
the  many  false  ones;  between  the  Church  of  the  present  Christ  and 
the  churches  of  the  absent  Christ;  between  the  living  Church,  living 
by  the  breath  of  its  Founder,  living  by  His  glorious  presence,  and 
the  dead  churches,  dead  because  they  have  separated  themselves  from 
the  living  truth ;  dead  because  they  have  not  upon  their  altars  the 
sacramental  Presence,  the  source  of  life  and  light.  The  church  that 
has  not  Christ  is  a  dead  church  indeed;  Christ  is  the  soul,  the  life, 
the  vital  principle,  of  the  Church.  Yea,  they  are  churches  without 
Christ,  the  churches  of  those  who  have  rejected  the  blessed  Eu- 
charist, they  are  churches  without  life  and  light,  churches  without 
the  living  faith,  for  they  have  not  stood  the  test  of  faith,  like  those 
unfortunate,  forgotten  disciples.  How  can  they  have  words  of  life, 
since  they  have  rejected  Him  who  alone  has  words  of  life? 

— Charles  Bruehl. 


192    ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THB  RE<\L  PRESENCE 

Perspicuous  and  clear  are  the  words  of  our  Saviour,  which  demon- 
strate the  real  presence  of  His  body  in  the  Sacrament;  for  when  He 
says:  "This  is  My  body,  this  is  My  blood,"  no  one,  provided  he  be 
of  sane  mind,  can  be  at  a  loss  to  know  what  we  are  to  understand, 
particularly  as  He  speaks  of  His  human  nature,  of  the  real  existence 
of  which  in  Christ  the  Catholic  Faith  permits  no  one  to  doubt.  As 
Hilary,  a  man  of  eminent  holiness  and  learning,  has  admirably  written, 
there  is  no  room  to  doubt  the  reality  of  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ, 
since,  according  to  the  declaration  of  our  Lord,  and  our  faith,  His 
"flesh  is  meat  indeed." 

Another  passage  also  is  to  be  expounded  by  pastors,  from  which 
it  is  clearly  to  be  learnt  that  in  the  Eucharist  are  contained  the  true 
Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord.  For  the  Apostle  having  recorded  the 
consecration  of  bread  and  wine  by  the  Lord  and  His  administration 
of  the  sacred  mysteries  to  His  Apostles,  subjoins:  "But  let  a  man 
prove  himself,  and  so  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  the  chalice; 
for  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth  and  drinketh  judg- 
ment to  himself,  not  discerning  the  Body  of  the  Lord"  (L  Cor.  xi, 
28,  sq.).  If,  as  heretics  repeatedly  assert,  there  were  nothing 
else  to  be  venerated  in  the  Sacrament  but  a  memorial  and  sign  of  the 
passion  of  Christ,  what  occasion  was  there  to  exhort  the  faithful,  in 
language  so  energetic,  to  "prove"  themselves?  For  by  that  heavy 
denunciation  contained  in  the  word  "judgment,"  the  Apostle  declared 
that  some  grievous  enormity  is  perpetrated  by  him  who,  unworthily 
receiving  the  Body  of  the  Lord,  concealed  beneath  the  Eucharistic 
veil,  distinguishes  it  not  from  other  kind  of  food.  This  the  Apostle 
also  more  fully  developed  in  a  preceding  passage  of  the  same  epistle, 
in  these  words :  "The  chalice  of  benediction  which  we  bless,  is  it 
not  the  communion  of  the  Blood  of  Christ?  and  the  bread  which  we 
break,  is  it  not  the  partaking  of  the  Body  of  the  Lord?"  (i  Cor.  x, 
16)  ;  words  which  indeed  demonstrate  the  real  substance  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  of  Christ  (in  the  holy  Eucharist). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

Amen,  amen,  I  say  unto  you :  He  that  believeth  in  Me,  hath  Ever- 
lasting Life. — /  am  the  Bread  of  Life. — Your  fathers  did  eat  manna 
in  the  desert,  and  are  dead. — This  is  the  Bread  which  comcth  down 
from  Heaven;  that  if  any  man  eat  of  It,  he  may  not  die. — /  am  the 
Living  Bread,  which  came  down  from  Heaven. — //  any  man  eat  of 
this  Bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever:  and  the  Bread  that  I  will  give,  is 
My  Flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world. — The  Jews  therefore  strove  among 
themselves,  saying:  How  can  this  man  give  us  His  Flesh  to  eat? 

— John  VI,  47-53- 

Then  Jesus  said  to  them:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  unto  you:  Except  you 
eat  the  Flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  His  Blood,  you  shall  not 
have  life  in  you. — He  that  eateth  My  Flesh,  and  drinketh  My  Blood, 
hath  Everlasting  Life:  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in  the  last  day. — For 
My  Flesh  is  meat  indeed:  and  My  Blood  is  drink  indeed: — He  that 
eateth  My  Flesh,  and  drinketh  My  Blood,  abideth  in  Me.  and  I  in 
him. — As  the  Living  Father  hath  scut  Me.  and  I  live  by  the  Father: 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  193 

so  he  that  caicth  Me,  the  same  also  shall  live  by  Me. — This  is  the 
Bread  that  came  down  from  Heaven.  Not  as  your  fathers  did  eat 
manna,  and  are  dead.    He  that  eateth  this  Bread  shall  live  forever. 

— John  VI,  54-60. 

The  Chalice  of  Benediction  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  Com- 
munion of  the  Blood  of  Christ f — I.  Cor.  X,  16. 

Ah  !  words  of  the  olden  Thursday, 

Still  holding  creative  sway ! 
Ye   have   brought   us   the   Friday's   Victim 

And  Priest  in  His  own  sweet  way. 
'Neath  veils,  with  His  glorified  body, 

Himself  He  offers  this  day. 

— Father  Ryan. 

THE  REAL  PRESENCE  THE  ESSENCE  OF  CATHOLIC   WORSHIP 

Everything  in  the  worship  of  the  Church  has  reference  to  the  one 
thing.  The  real  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  source  of  all,  and 
gives  significance  to  all  in  the  sacred  liturgy.  High  Mass  and  Bene- 
diction, the  vestments,  and  lights,  and  incense,  the  altars,  the  intricate 
carvings,  the  painted  legends  of  the  windows,  the  pictures  on  the 
walls,  the  empowering  solemnities  of  midnight  Mass,  of  the  services 
of  Holy  Week,  of  the  processions  of  Corpus  Christi — what  do  they 
all  mean?  This  alone,  that  God  approaches  to  us  as  to  no  others, 
that  He  really  descends  upon  our  altars  and  abides  among  men. 
Without  this  great  central  doctrine  all  the  pomp  of  religious  cere- 
monies would  be  meaningless,  mere  empty  form,  histrionic  show, 
ministering  only  to  curiosity  and  vanity.  We  have  often  heard  bitter 
criticism  and  ridicule  of  the  imposing  functions  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  They  are  censured  as  being  an  appeal  to  the  lower  faculties 
of  unspiritual  men,  an  unworthy  attempt  to  overawe  men  through 
their  material  senses,  and  to  create  an  artificial  reverence.  There 
would  not  be  a  word  too  much  or  too  strong  in  these  censures  if  our 
religion  was  as  those  others  which  do  not  enjoy  the  Real  Presence. 
Catholics  would  be  the  first  to  despise  the  folly  of  gorgeous  vestments, 
and  thrilling  music,  and  solemn  actions,  if  they  were  employed  only 
because  they  look  nice  and  have  a  good  effect.  We  may  sometimes 
read  of  splendid  functions  in  non-Catholic  churches,  imitations  of  our 
solemn  benediction  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  with  its  outward  ac- 
companiments of  lights  and  flowers,  and  banners,  and  vestments.  We 
wonder  what  it  was  all  about;  we  read  on,  and  perhaps  we  find  that 
the  grand  procession  of  ministers  approached  the  communion  table, 
incensed  it,  and  retired.    The  mere  outward  husk  of  Catholicism  ! 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

GOD  THE  FATHER  AND  GOD  THE  HOLY  GHOST  ALSO  TRULY  PRESENT  IN 
THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT 

As  every  well  instructed  Catholic  knows,  by  virtue  of  the  words 
of  the  consecration  the  bread  and  wine  are  changed  into  the  sacred 
Body  and  Blood  of  Christ.     Now  comes  the  question :  Is  the  human 


194    ILLUSTRATIONS  LOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

soul  of  Jesus  Christ  also  present?  Certainly  it  is,  but  not  in  virtue 
of  the  consecrating  words,  which  do  not  even  refer  to  it;  but  because 
since  the  Resurrection,  Body  and  Soul  are  inseparable.  In  short, 
where  the  Sacred  Body  is,  the  Soul  of  Jesus  Christ  must  also  be. 
This  is  what  theologians  express  by  the  word  "concomitance."  And 
what  shall  we  say  about  the  Divinity  of  Christ?  That  is  also  present, 
and  for  the  same  reason ;  viz.,  because  where  the  Body,  and,  in  fact, 
the  entire  humanity  of  Jesus  Christ  is  present  there  also  must  be 
present  the  Divinity.  No  power  can  separate  them.  Then  are  the 
Eternal  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  also  truly  present  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament?  In  the  light  of  the  principles  already  laid  down  the 
answer  must  be  in  the  affirmative. 

Observe:  There  are  not  three  Divine  Essences,  but  only  one. 
Hence  it  must  follow,  that  wherever  that  one  Divine  Essence  is, 
there  must  be  all  three  Persons.  The  nature  of  God  can  not  be  par- 
celled out  among  three.  No  such  division  is  so  much  as  possible. 
But  since  there  is  only  one  nature  or  essence,  wherever  that  nature 
is  there  also  must  be  equally  present  each  of  the  Divine  Persons. 
But,  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  there  is  most  certainly  the  Divine  sub- 
stance or  nature,  then  there  must  also  be,  not  in  virtue  of  the  words 
of  consecration,  but  by  concomitance,  not  only  God  the  Son,  but  also 
God  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

If  we  speak  always  of  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the 
Second  Person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  and  but  seldom  mention,  in 
this  connection,  the  other  members  of  the  Trinity,  it  is  only  because 
the  sacred  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ  alone  are  present  by 
virtue  of  the  words  of  institution,  and  the  sacred  Body  and  the 
sacred  Blood  were  assumed  by  the  Sacred  Person  alone,  and  not 
by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Divine  Persons  are  indivisible,  inseparable,  and  so  united  in 
one  nature,  that  where  one  is  the  rest  must  be.  Though  indivisible, 
they  are  distinct,  because  the  Persons  are  different,  though  the 
nature  is  the  same.  That  is  to  say :  No  Divine  Person  can  separate 
His  personality  from  His  nature.  Hence,  where  one  Person  is,  there 
also  must  be  the  Divine  nature.  But  the  one  nature  is.  and  must  ever 
be,  common  to  the  three  Persons;  consequently  the  other  two  Persons 
must  be  equi-present  there  likewise. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

BELIEF  IN   THE  REAL   PRESENCE 

One  day  as  Mass  was  being  celebrated  in  the  magnificent  chapel 
of  St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  there  was  seen  at  the  elevation  not 
the  Sacred  Host,  but  a  wonderfully  beautiful  Infant.  The  persons 
present  asked  the  priest  to  continue  to  elevate  our  Lord  until  they 
could  call  the  holy  king  to  come  and  witness  the  prodigy.  They 
called  the  king,  who  was  near  by,  but  he  would  not  go  to  see  the 
wonder,  saying:  "Let  those  go  to  see  this  wonder  who  do  not  believe 
firmly  in  the  Real  Presence ;  as  for  me,  I  have  never  had,  thank 
God,  any  doubt  on  this  point."  Let  us  strive  to  have  as  firm  a  faith 
as  that  saintly  king,  especially  when  we  assist  at  holy  Mass  and 
receive  Holy  Connnunion. — Fcrrcol  Girardcy,  C.SS.R. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  105 

HB  PRACTICED  WUAT  HE  PKEACIIED 

It  is  related  of  Bishop  Mermilled  tliat,  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Forty  Hours'  devotion  in  a  certain  church,  he  delivered  in  the  evening 
a  most  eloquent  and  impressive  sermon  on  the  Holy  Eucharist.  After 
the  sermon  the  Bishop  stayed  in  the  sacristy  until  he  thought  that 
all  the  people  had  left  the  church,  and,  as  was  his  custom,  he  then 
went  and  knelt  on  the  step  of  the  altar  and  remained  there  in  silent 
prayer  for  some  time.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  prayer  he  arose  and 
was  about  to  depart,  when  to  his  surprise  he  found  he  was  not  alone 
in  the  church,  for  he  heard  steps.  Upon  looking  in  the  direction 
where  the  steps  came  from,  he  observed  a  woman  who  approached 
him  and  said:  "I  am  a  Protestant,  and  curiosity  brought  me  to  this 
church  this  evening.  I  heard  your  sermon  and  found  it  so  convincing 
that  I  resolved  that  what  you  said  must  be  the  truth,  if  your  actions 
in  private  bear  out  what  you  preach  in  public.  When  all  the  other 
people  left  I  stayed  in  church,  thinking  that  perhaps  I  might  have 
an  opportunity  to  satisfy  myself  on  this  point.  You  could  not  see 
me  when  you  came  out,  and  I  know  that  you  thought  that  there  was 
no  one  about  but  yourself.  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes  that  you 
really  believe  what  you  preach,  and  now  I  intend  to  become  a 
Catholic." 

THE   GRACE   OF  THE   HOLT   EUCHARIST 

Greater  is  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  than  the  grace  of  the 
Incarnation.  In  the  Incarnation  the  Lord  bestowed  Divinity  only  on 
His  soul  and  His  sacred  manhood,  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  He  bestowed 
His  Divinity  upon  all  men. — St.  Theresa. 

A  MIRACLE  TO  PROVE  THE  REAL  PRESENCE 

St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  the  great  miracle  worker  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  was  preaching  at  Toulouse,  where  many  heretics  denied 
the  Real  Presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucharist.  One  of 
them  challenged  him  to  perform  a  miracle  to  prove  the  Real  Presence. 
St.  Anthony  asked  him :  "What  miracle  do  you  ask  for?"  He  replied: 
"I  will  believe  if  my  mule  falls  on  its  knees  in  presence  of  what  yoir 
call  the  Blessed  Sacrament."  St.  Anthony,  inspired  by  God  and 
trusting  in  Him,  accepted  the  challenge.  At  the  appointed  time  he 
went  in  solemn  procession  carrying  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  followed 
by  an  immense  number  of  people,  to  the  public  square  in  front  of  the 
church.  The  heretic  with  his  mule  was  there,  waiting  for  him. 
St.  Anthony  then  spoke  thus  aloud  to  the  mule :  '"Creature  of  God,  in 
the  name  of  thy  Creator,  whom  I  hold  in  my  hands,  I  command  thee 
to  kneel  down  and  adore  Him."  In  the  meantime,  the  heretic  was 
tempting  the  hungry  mule  to  eat  a  bundle  of  hay.  But  the  mule, 
paying  no  attention  to  the  hay,  at  once  fell  on  its  knees  and  remained 
there,  until  St.  Anthony  told  it  to  get  up  and  eat.  The  heretic,  its 
owner,  was  the  first  to  cry  out:  "I  believe  in  the  Real  Presence;  I 
am  now  a  Catholic."    Many  heretics  present  were  also  converted. 

Charlemagne  wished  to  make  the  Saxons  Christians,  and  gave 
them  missionaries  to  instruct  them,  but  they  revolted  and  expelled 
the   missionaries.      Charlemagne    then    invaded    their   country.      The 


196    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

King  of  the  'Saxons,  Witikind,  who  hated  everything  Christian,  dis- 
guised himself  as  a  pilgrim  and  entered  Charlemagne's  camp.  It  was 
during  Holy  Week.  He  assisted  at  the  ceremonies  of  that  week,  and 
at  Mass  on  Easter  Sunday,  when  Charlemagne  and  his  soldiers  re- 
ceived holy  Communion,  he  was  astonished  to  see  the  priest  holding 
a  very  small  Child,  wonderfully  bright  and  beautiful,  and  giving  it 
to  each  communicant.  He  saw  how  that  Child  looked  happy  when 
placed  on  the  tongue  of  some,  and  how  He  seemed  unwilling  to  be 
placed  on  the  tongue  of  others.  He  could  not  explain  what  he  saw; 
later  on,  upon  learning  the  mystery  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  the 
difference  between  a  good  and  a  sacrilegious  Communion,  he  was 
converted,  and  his  conversion  was  followed  by  that  of  all  the  Saxons. 

THE  INFINITE  POWER  OF  GOD 

Two  ladies  were  once  conversing  together ;  the  one  was  a  Catholic 
and  the  other  a  Protestant.  They  were  disputing  on  the  subject  of 
the  Real  Presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Adorable  Sacrament.  "It  is  quite 
impossible,"  said  the  Protestant  lady,  "that  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
Jesus  can  be  really  present  under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine. 
How  could  it  be  possible?"  "Do  you  believe  in  God?"  asked  the 
Catholic.  "Most  certainly,"  said  the  other.  "And  do  you  believe 
God  can  do  all  things?"  "Yes;  God  can  do  all  things  because  He  is 
almighty."  "Then,  if  you  believe  that  God  can  do  all  things,  why 
do  you  say  that  He  cannot  do  this?  How  can  anything  be  impossible 
or  difficult  to  Him  who  can  do  all  things?"  "But  I  cannot  under- 
stand it,"  said  the  other.  The  Catholic  answered:  "Is  God,  then, 
obliged  to  limit  His  works  to  the  things  you  can  understand?  Is  it 
not  enough  that  Jesus  Christ  should  tell  us  what  He  has  done?  It 
is  as  easy  for  Him  to  change  the  bread  and  wine  into  His  Body  and 
Blood  as  it  was  for  Him  to  create  the  world  out  of  nothing." 

PRAYER  BEFORE  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT 

When  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori  was  an  old  man,  and  could  not 
leave  his  room,  his  greatest  grief  was  that  he  could  no  longer  go 
to  visit  Jesus  present  in  the  holy  tabernacle.  "Do  you  not  know," 
he  used  to  say,  "  that  you  may  obtain  more  by  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  prayer  before  the  altar  than  by  all  the  other  devotions  of  the 
day  put  together?" 

HOLY  COMMUNION 

The  Ark  of  the  Covenant  was  sacred,  and  brought  blessings  and 
prosperity  upon  the  house  of  Obededom,  but  Oza  fell  dead  because 
he  ventured  to  touch  it.  In  the  same  way  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
of  which  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  was  a  type,  brings  blessings  upon 
all  worthy  communicants,  but  ruin  upon  the  unworthy.  If  some  find 
death  in  the  Bread  of  Life,  and  receive  Satan  instead  of  the  pledge  of 
salvation,  it  is  not  because  Holy  Communion  brings  death  or  Salan, 
but  because  these  evils  come  in  punislnnent  for  their  wickedness  and 
sacrilege.  Let  no  one,  therefore,  approach  the  Lord's  Table  without 
having  on  the  wedding  garment.  Let  all  come  pure  and  stainless, 
adorned  with  devotion  and  virtue.  — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  197 

Oh !  the  wonderful  and  hidden  grace  of  this  Sacrament,  which 
only  the  faithful  of  Christ  know;  but  which  unbelievers  and  such  as 
are  slaves  to  sin,  cannot  experience.  In  this  Sacrament  is  conferred 
spiritual  grace ;  lost  virtue  is  repaired  in  the  soul ;  and  beauty, 
disfigured  by  sin,  returns  again. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

The  venerable  Louis  de  Blois  tells  us  that  a  very  great  servant 
of  God,  whom  he  knew  and  loved,  was  one  day  visited  by  a  soul 
from  Purgatory  suffering  intense  torments.  During  his  lifetime  this 
soul  had  been  a  great  friend  of  this  servant  of  God.  He  said  to 
him:  "O  my  friend.  I  have  been  condemned  to  suffer  tliis  intense 
pain  because  during  life  I  had  received  Holy  Communion  without 
sufficient  preparation  and  without  fervour.  I  have  come  to  ask  you, 
by  that  tender  friendship  we  had  for  each  other  long  ago,  to  help 
me  now.  Go  to  Holy  Communion  once  for  me,  and  do  so  with  all 
the  fervour  and  love  you  can,  and  I  hope  that  God  will  accept 
it  as  an  act  of  reparation  for  my  want  of  fervour,  and  deliver  me 
from  these  terrible  suff'erings. " 

The  holy  man  did  so,  and  the  departed  soul  reappeared  to  him, 
full  of  happiness,  and  said:  "At  last,  thanks  to  you,  dear  friend, 
I  am  about  to  see  my  adorable  Lord  and  Master  face  to  face  in 
Heaven." 

HOLY  COarMlINION  BENEFITS  SOUL  AND  BODY 

And  so  great  sometimes  is  this  grace,  that  from  the  abundance 
of  the  devotion  that  is  bestowed,  not  only  the  mind,  but  the  frail 
body  also  feels  a  great  increase  of  strength. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  FOOD  OF  THE  SOUL 

We  are  made  up  of  two  parts,  soul  and  body.  We  ask  Gnd  to 
give  us  the  food  we  need  for  our  poor  body,  and  He  answers  us 
by  making  the  earth  produce  what  is  needful  to  support  it.  But  we 
also  ask  Him  to  nourish  our  soul,  which  is  the  better  part  of 
us.  But  the  earth  cannot  do  this;  it  is  by  far  too  little;  it  hungers 
after  God,  and  God  alone  can  satisfy  it.  Therefore,  the  good  God 
did  not  consider  it  too  much  to  come  into  this  world,  and  take  a 
body  like  ours,  so  that  His  Body  might  become  the  nourishment  of 
our  souls.  "My  flesh  is  meat  indeed,"  says  Jesus  Christ,  "and  the  bread 
that  I  will  give  you  is  My  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world." 

The  food  we  need  for  our  souls  is  in  the  tabernacle.  Oh,  how 
beautiful  this  is.  When  the  priest  takes  the  Sacred  Host  in  his 
hands  and  shows  it  to  you,  your  soul  can  truly  say,  this  is  my 
food ! 

O  my  children,  we  have  far  too  much  happiness !  It  is  only 
when  we  get  to  Heaven  that  we  will  be  able  to  understand  it. 

— The  Cure  of  Ars. 

THE  KEY  OF  PARADISE 

Monsignor  de  Segur,  in  his  little  book  on  frequent  Communion, 
writes  as  follows:  "If  Almighty  God  were  to  appear  to  you,  and 
were  to  say:  '  Do  you  wish  to  go  to  Heaven,  My  child?  and  do  you 
wish  to  have  an  assurance  of  your  salvation  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to 
have  it  on  earth?'   you   would   immediately   answer:   'O   my  Lord, 


m    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

from  my  inmost  heart  I  do  desire  it.'  Well,  then,  in  the  Name 
of  that  good  God,  who,  for  the  love  of  us,  remains  on  earth  in  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  I  am  going  to  present  you  with  this  key  of  Paradise. 
I  am  going  to  offer  you,  in  His  Name,  the  passport  which  will 
certainly  admit  you  into  Heaven.  My  child,  this  key  of  Paradise  is 
'Regular  Confession  and  Communion  every  w-eek.'  Make,  then, 
the  following  resolution :  "As  far  as  lies  in  my  power,  I  will  never 
let  a  week  pass  without  giving  new  life  to  my  soul  by  a  good 
Confession  and  a  good  Communion.  I  lay  this  resolution  at  the 
feet  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  praying  her  to  obtain  for  me  the  grace 
never  to  depart  from  it.'  " 

THE  STRENGTH  GIVEN  IN  HOLY  CO^mU^^ON 

A  certain  gentleman  went  to  visit  a  hospital  which  was  under 
the  care  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  During  the  time  of 
his  visit  an  operation  had  to  be  performed  on  one  of  the  patients, 
which  caused  her  intense  pain,  and  her  cries  of  anguish  resounded 
throughout  the  house,  rending  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  them. 
The  gentleman  could  not  endure  them,  and  instantly  left  the  ward. 
The  sisters  alone  remained  calm  and  firm  at  the  side  of  the  poor 
woman.  "How  can  these  good  sisters  stand  there  so  courageously," 
he  asked  of  the  Superioress,  "when  even  I,  who  have  strong  nerves, 
cannot  endure  it  any.  longer?"  "Sir,"  she  replied,  pointing  to  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  in  their  little  chapel,  "it  is  there  where  they 
get  that  courage  and  strength  you  so  much  admire.  It  is  Jesus 
Himself  who  gives  it  to  them  in  the  Holy  Eucharist." 

THE  HlVtNE   FUEL 

A  Protestant  minister,  who  admired  the  heroism  and  wonderful 
success  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  caring  for  the  sick  and  the 
unfortunate,  was  desirous  of  starting  similar  works  of  charity.  He 
therefore  applied  to  the  Superior  General  of  these  sisters  for 
information.  The  Superior  General  took  him  through  a  number  of 
their  institutions  and  gave  him  all  the  necessary  information  and 
explanations  concerning  their  working.  When  the  minister  was 
about  to  take  his  leave,  the  Superior  General  said  to  him:  "My  dear 
sir,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  you  will  never  succeed.'  "Why  not?" 
"Because,  although  you  can  imitate  the  machinery  of  these  institu- 
tions, you  do  not  possess  the  fuel  to  make  it  go."  By  the  fuel  he 
meant  Holy  Communion,  which  alone  promotes  and  keeps  up  the 
heroism  requisite  for  such  works. 

THE  BRAVE  OFFICER 

In  the  great  European  war,  an  officer,  who  was  a  man  of  great 
piety,  received  an  order  to  attack  one  of  the  enemy's  strongholds. 
In  an  instant  he  was  at  his  post  at  the  head  of  his  men,  and  rushed 
forward  to  the  attack.  The  onset  was  terrible,  but  in  the  midst 
of  the  glittering  bayonets  and  the  showers  of  bullets,  the  officer 
was  as  calm  as  if  he  were  on  parade  or  at  review.  His  bravery 
gained  the  day,  and  the  fort  was  captured. 

His  General,  who  had  witnessed  the  scene  went  to  meet  him. 
"O  Colonel."  he  cried  out,  "what  bravery!     Where  did  you  learn 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  199 

to  be  so  calm  and  so  self-possessed  in  the  midst  of  such  imminent 
danger?"  "General,'  the  officer  answered,  with  sublime  simplicity, 
"I  received  Holy  Communion  this  morning." 

All  who  heard  this  answer  were  filled  with  admiration  at  so 
much  courage  and  piety. 

It  is  Holy  Communion  that  gains  for  us  also  strength  to  over- 
come our  spiritual  enemies. 

THE    VISION   OF  A   DEVOUT   COMMINICANT 

Father  Hunolt,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  relates  that  two  students 
once  agreed  that,  if  God  would  allow  it,  he  who  should  die  first 
would  appear  to  the  other  and  tell  him  how  he  fared  in  the  next 
world.  Shortly  afterwards  one  of  them  died,  and  appeared,  by 
permission  of  God,  to  his  fellow-student,  all  shining  with  heavenly 
glory,  and  told  him  that  by  the  mercy  of  God  he  was  saved,  and 
was  in  possession  of  the  bliss  of  Heaven.  The  other  congratulated 
him  on  his  happiness,  and  asked  him  how  he  had  merited  such 
unspeakable  glory  and  bliss.  The  happy  soul  replied:  "By  the 
care  with  which  I  always  endeavoured  to  receive  Holy  Communion 
with  a  pure  heart."  At  these  words  the  spirit  disappeared,  leaving  in 
the  other  feelings  of  great  consolation,  and  an  ardent  desire  of 
imitating  his  great  devotion,  that  he  might  one  day  join  him  in  Heaven 
in  the  possession  of  the  same  unspeakable  joy. 

THE   GREAT  SUPPER 

Thanks  to  thee,  O  Thou  Creator  and  Redeemer  of  men,  who, 
to  manifest  Thy  love  to  the  whole  world,  hast  prepared  a  great 
supper,  wherein  Thou  hast  set  before  us  to  be  eaten,  not  the  typical 
lamb,  but  Thy  most  sacred  Body  and  Blood;  rejoicing  all  the  faithful 
with  Thy  holy  banquet,  and  replenishing  them  with  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion, in  which  are  all  the  delights  of  paradise:  and  the  holy  angels 
do  feast  with  us,  but  with  a  more  happy  sweetness. 

— Thomas  a  Keiiipis. 

FOOD  AND  LIGHT  FOR  THE  SOUL 

For  in  this  life  I  find  there  are  two  things  especially  necessary  for 
me,  without  which  this  miserable  life  would  be  insupportable.  Whilst 
I  am  kept  in  the  prison  of  the  body,  I  acknowledge  myself  to  need 
two  things,  food  and  light.  Thou  hast,  therefore,  given  to  me,  weak 
as  I  am,  Thy  sacred  Body  for  the  nourishment  of  my  soul  and  body, 
and  Thou  hast  ser  Thy  word  "as  a  light  to  my  feet"  (Ps.  CXVHI). 

— Thomas  a  Kcvipis. 

FIRST  HOLY  COM>n'MON 

An  old  soldier  once  had  a  collection  of  medals  and  pictures 
adorning  the  walls  of  his  room,  in  which  collection  was  one  little 
print,  soiled,  torn,  and  so  faded  that  one  could  hardly  make  out 
what  it  was.  A  friend  coming  to  visit  him  one  day,  and  scanning 
his  souvenirs,  asked :  "What  is  thij,  so  old  and  faded,  that  apparently 
holds  the  place  of  honour  among  all  your  treasures?"  "That," 
answered  the  aged  man,  "is  the  most  precious  of  them  all.  This 
picture  I  received  at  my  first  Holy  Communion — it  is  the  token 
of  the  promises  T  then  made  to  God.     It  is  faded  because  I  carried 


L'UO    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

it  with  me  wherever  I  went.    In  camp  and  on  the  battlefield,  it  never 

left  me.     When  I  was  in  trouble,  I  had  only  to  raise  my  eyes  to 
that  talisman,  and  all  sorrow  vanished.     New  courage  again  became 

mine  to  face  the  battle  of  life.     Now  I   am  an  old  man.  Soon  I 

must  die,  but  when  that  last  hour  comes,  I  hope  that  same  picture, 

reminding  me  of  my  first  Communion,  will  give  me  strength  to  meet 
the  final  struggle." — Frederick  Renter. 

THBEE   KINDS   OF   COMMUNICANTS 

The  Council  of  Trent  distinguished  three  kinds  of  communicants. 
Some  receive  the  Holy  Eucharist  merely  in  a  sacramental  manner, 
i.  e.,  they  receive  a  consecrated  Host,  but  they  do  so  with  hearts 
defiled,  not  having  contritely  confessed  their  sins,  and  they  come 
without  preparation,  without  devotion,  and  consequently  they  derive 
no  benefit  from  their  Communion. 

Others  receive  the  Sacrament  merely  in  a  spiritual  manner;  they 
are  unable,  for  some  reason,  to  receive  our  Lord  sacramentally  in 
a  consecrated  Host,  but  they  have  a  great  longing  to  do  so,  and 
hence  they  receive  Him  in  spirit,  and  thus  obtain  many,  though  not 
all,  of  the  benefits  conferred  by  the  Sacrament. 

Others  again  receive  our  Lord's  Body  both  sacramentally  and 
spiritually ,  and  they  are  those  who  examine  themselves  well  before- 
hand, as  the  Apostle  commands,  and  with  pure  hearts  approach  the 
altar  and  receive  this  holy  Sacrament,  which  is  to  them  the  source 
of  grace,  life  and  salvation. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

THE  LAITY  NOT  TO  COMMUNICATE  UNDER  BOTH  KINDS 

It  is  forbidden  by  a  law  of  holy  Church  that  any  one  but  the 
priests  consecrating  the  Body  of  the  Lord  in  the  sacrifice  should 
receive  the  holy  Eucharist  under  both  kinds  without  the  authority 
of  the  Church  itself.  Christ,  the  Lord,  it  is  true,  instituted,  and 
gave  to  his  Apostles,  at  His  last  supper,  this  most  sublime  Sacra- 
ment under  both  kinds ;  but  that  does  not  prove  that  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  established  the  law  that  the  sacred  mysteries  must  be 
administered  to  all  the  faithful  under  both  species ;  for,  speaking  of 
this  Sacrament,  He  Himself  frequently  mentions  it  under  one  kind 
only,  as  when  He  says:  "If  any  man  eat  of  this  Bread,  he  shall  live 
for  ever;  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh  for  the  life  of 
the  world;"  and:  "He  that  eateth  this  Bread  shall  live  for  ever" 
(John  VI,  58-59). — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

HOLY  COMMUNION  A  SATISFACTION  FOB  SINS 

For  there  is  no  oblation  more  worthy,  nor  satisfaction  greater  for 
the  washing  away  of  sins,  than  to  offer  up  thyself  purely  and 
entirely  to  God,  together  with  the  oblation  of  the  Body  of  Christ, 
in  the  Mass  and  in  the  Communion.  If  a  man  does  what  lies  in 
him,  and  is  truly  penitent  as  often  as  he  shall  come  to  Me  for 
pardon  and  grace,  as  I  live  saith  the  Lord,  who  will  not  the  death 
of  the  sinner,  but  rather  that  he  should  be  converted  and  live,  I 
will  no  longer  remember  his  sins,  but  all  shall  be  forgiven  him  (Ezech. 
XVIII  and  XXXlll) .—Thomas  a  Kempis. 


THE  HOLY   BUCHARIST  201 

THE  EXCUSE  OF  BEIXO  UNTTOKTHT 

We  must  not  abstain  from  the  Bread  of  Angels  because  we  have 
not  sufiiciently  tender  feelings;  it  would  be  like  dying  of  hunger  for 
want  of  honeycakes. — St.  Ignatius. 

FREQUENT    COMMUNION 

Thou  oughtest  often  to  have  recourse  to  the  Fountain  of  Grace 
and  of  Divine  Mercy;  to  the  Fountain  of  all  Goodness  and  all  Purity; 
that  thou  maycst  be  healed  of  thy  passions  and  vices,  and  be  made 
more  strong  and  vigilant  against  all  the  temptations  and  deceits  of 
the  devil.  The  enemy,  knowing  the  very  great  advantage  and 
remedy  which  is  in  the  holy  Communion,  strives  by  all  means  and 
occasions,  as  much  as  he  is  able,  to  withdraw  and  hinder  faithful  and 
devout  persons  from  it. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Let  not  the  faithful  deem  it  enough  to  receive  the  Body  of  the 
Lord  once  a  year  only,  in  obedience  to  the  authority  of  this  decree ; 
but  let  them  judge  that  Communion  ought  to  be  more  frequent,  but 
whether  it  be  more  expedient  that  it  should  be  monthly,  weekly,  or 
daily,  can  be  decided  by  no  fixed  universal  rule.  St.  Augustine, 
however,  lays  down  a  most  certain  standard.  "Live,"  says  he,  "in 
such  a  manner  as  to  be  able  to  receive  daily."  Wherefore  it  will 
be  the  part  of  the  parish  priest  frequently  to  exhort  the  faithful 
that,  as  they  think  it  necessary  every  day  to  afford  nourishment  to 
the  body,  they  should  also  not  neglect  daily  to  feed  and  nourish  the 
soul  with  this  Sacrament ;  for  it  is  evident  that  the  soul  stands  not 
less  in  need  of  spiritual  than  the  body  of  natural  food.  And  here 
it  will  be  most  beneficial  to  recapitulate  the  immense  and  Divine 
advantages  which,  as  has  been  already  shown,  we  derive  from  the 
sacramental  Communion  of  the  Eucharist.  The  figure  of  the  manna 
is  also  to  be  added,  which  it  was  necessary  to  use  every  day,  in  order 
to  repair  the  strength  of  the  body  (Exod.  xvi,  21,  sq.)  ;  and  also 
the  autliorities  of  the  holy  Fathers,  who  earnestly  recommended 
the  frequent  participation  of  this  Sacrament ;  for  the  words :  "Thou 
sinnest  daily ;  receive  daily"  are  not  the  sentiments  of  St.  Augustine 
alone,  but  also,  as  any  one  upon  diligent  inquiry  will  easily  discover, 
the  sentiment  of  all  the  Fathers  who  wrote  on  this  subject. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent 

What  doth  it  avail  thee  to  delay  thy  confession  for  a  long  time, 
or  to  put  off  the  holy  Communion?  Purge  thyself  with  speed,  spit 
out  the  venom  presently,  make  haste  to  take  this  remedy,  and  thou 
shalt  find  it  to  be  better  for  thee  than  if  thou  hadst  deferred  it  for  a 
long  time. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

If  wordlings  ask  you  why  you  communicate  so  often,  tell  thera 
it  is  to  learn  to  love  God,  to  purify  yourself  from  your  imperfections, 
to  be  delivered  from  your  miseries,  to  be  comforted  in  your  afflic- 
tions, and  supported  in  your  weaknesses.  Tell  them  that  two  sorts 
of  persons  ought  to  communicate  frequently :  the  perfect,  because, 
being  well  disposed,  they  would  be  greatly  to  blame  not  to  approach 
to  the  source  and  fountain  of  perfection,  and  the  imperfect,  to  the 


202    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

end  that  they  may  be  able  to  acquire  perfection;  the  strong,  lest  they 
should  become  weak,  and  the  weak,  that  they  may  become  strong; 
the  sick,  that  they  may  be  restored  to  health,  and  the  healthy,  lest 
they  should  fall  into  sickness ;  that  for  your  part,  being  imperfect, 
weak,  and  sick,  you  have  need  to  communicate  frequently  with  Him 
who  is  your  perfection,  your  strength,  and  your  physician. 

— St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

FREQUENT  COJIMINION  A  MEANS  TO  G.UN  THE  VIRTUE  OF  PURITY 

Father  Paul  Barry,  S.J.,  tells  the  story  of  a  man  who  from  his 
youth  upwards  had  suffered  most  violent  temptations  against  purity, 
and  had  occasionally  sinned  in  deed  as  well  as  in  thought.  Being 
troubled  in  conscience,  he  consulted  a  priest,  who  advised  him  to 
marry,  and  then  practice  chastity  according  to  his  state  of  life.  He 
followed  this  advice,  and  for  some  time  enjoyed  peace  of  mind,  but, 
after  some  years,  his  wife  died,  and  immediately  the  same  trouble 
began  again.  He  sought  counsel  of  another  priest,  who  prescribed 
quite  another  remedy,  for  he  recommended  him  to  go  to  Holy  Com- 
munion every  fortnight,  assuring  him  that  thus  he  would  gain  the 
virtue  of  purity.  The  afflicted  man  agreed  to  do  so,  though  with 
considerable  reluctance,  but,  after  he  had  communicated  regularly 
for  some  months,  he  experienced  such  relief  from  his  horrible 
temptations  that  he  determined  to  communicate  even  more  fre- 
quently. 

Two  men,  Neander  and  Theophilus,  were  one  day  disputing  on  the 
subject  of  approaching  frequently  to  the  Sacraments.  "I  do  not 
like  those  who  go  very  often  to  Communion,"  said  Neander;  "many 
of  them  seem  to  me  to  be  full  of  hypocrisy."  Theophilus  replied: 
"As  for  me,  I  have  very  little  confidence  in  those  who  do  not  go  to 
Communion  at  all,  or  who  do  not  go  frequently."  Philothea,  who 
heard  this  dispute,  said:  "I  can  show  you  from  experience  and  from 
history  the  truth  of  what  Theophilus  asserts.  The  most  wicked  men 
who  have  ever  been  in  the  world,  the  worst-behaved  Christians,  and 
the  refuse  of  humanity,  all  belong  to  the  class  of  those  who  go  but 
seldom,  or  not  at  all,  to  Communion ;  whereas,  on  the  contrary  all 
the  Saints  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  especially  those  who  were  the 
greatest  among  them,  went  to  Communion  as  often  as  it  was  possible 
for  them  to  do  so,  and  tried,  as  far  as  they  could,  to  encourage  this 
practice  among  the  faithful." — St.  Francis  dc  Sales. 

When  Blessed  Thomas  More  was  Chancellor  of  England  some  of 
his  friends  reproached  him  for  going  to  Holy  Communion  so  often, 
considering  the  great  number  of  his  occupations.  He  answered: 
"Your  reasons  for  wanting  me  to  stay  from  Communion  are  exactly 
the  ones  that  cause  me  to  go  so  often.  My  distractions  are  great, 
but  it  is  in  Communion  that  I  recollect  myself.  Many  times  a  day 
have  I  temptations ;  it  is  by  daily  Communion  I  get  the  strength  to 
overcome  them.  I  have  many  weighty  affairs  to  manage,  and  I 
have  need  of  light  and  wisdom  to  manage  them ;  it  is  for  this  very 
reason  that  I  go  every  day  to  consult  Jesus  about  them  in  Holy 
Communion." 


THE  HOLY   EUCHARIST  203 

EA8T£B    COMMUNION 

That  the  Church  in  her  solicitude  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
her  children  found  it  imperative  to  institute  such  a  precept,  should 
fill  the  souls  of  the  faithful  with  shame  and  confusion.  Why  should 
such  a  precept  be  necessary?  Is  it  thus  that  the  gratitude  of 
Christians  is  shown  for  this  mystery  of  unfathomable  love?  Going 
back  in  spirit  through  the  corridors  of  time  to  the  room  of  the  Last 
Supper  and  the  touching  scene  in  the  Garden  of  Olives,  on  the 
memorable  night  of  the  institution  of  this  august  Sacrament,  who 
could  ever  believe  that  the  ingratitude  of  Christians  should  force  the 
Church  to  bind  them  by  a  law  under  the  severest  penalties  to  partake 
of  this  mystery  of  eternal  love? — /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 

Lest  possibly  any  may  be  rendered  more  negligent  to  receive 
this  Sacrament,  by  the  supposed  labour  and  difficulty  of  so  great  a 
preparation,  the  faithful  are  frequently  to  be  admonished  that  to  all 
is  addressed  the  law  that  obliges  to  the  reception  of  the  holy 
Eucharist ;  and  it  has  been  moreover,  declared  by  the  Church,  that 
whoever  shall  not  have  communicated  at  least  once  a  year,  at  Easter, 
subjects  himself  to  excommunication. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

SPIKITUAL   COMMUNION 

Our  Lord  one  day  appeared  to  Sister  Paula,  a  holy  nun  who 
dwelt  in  Naples,  with  two  vessels  in  His  hands,  the  one  of  gold  and 
the  other  of  silver.  As  she  was  wondering  what  this  could  signify, 
Jesus  said  to  her:  "My  daughter,  I  keep  in  the  golden  vessel  all 
your  Sacramental  Communions,  and  in  the  silver  one  your  Spiritual 
Communions." 

If  we  are  deprived  of  Sacramental  Communion,  let  us  replace  it 
as  far  as  we  can  by  Spiritual  Communions.  We  can  do  this  at  every 
moment,  for  we  ought  at  every  moment  to  have  a  burning  desire  to 
receive  the  good  God." — The  Cure  of  Ars. 

BENEDICTION   OF  THE  BLESSED   SACRAMENT 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  beautiful  rite  of  Benediction, 
loved  by  Catholics  with  a  peculiar  love  that  only  a  Catholic  can  have, 
appeals  also  very  strongly,  indeed,  to  very  many  non-Catholics  who 
may  happen  to  be  present  at  that  service  of  the  Church.  Many  con- 
versions are  recorded  as  the  result  of  the  life-giving  influence  of  the 
real  Presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  of  His  blessing 
imparted  in  the  rite  of  Benediction. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

SACRIFICE 

Now  in  the  pages  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  m  the  traditions  of 
all  nations,  we  find  records  of  a  mode  of  worshiping  God,  unique  in 
its  nature,  the  Rite  of  Sacrifice,  which  owing  to  its  universality  and 
substantial  identity,  cannot  be  referred  to  any  period  later  than  the 
cradle-time  of  the  human  race,  when  men  all  formed  one  family. 
This  Rite  of  Sacrifice  consisted  in  the  offering  up,  upon  an  altar  or 
place  of  sacrifice,  of  some  material  thing,  the  best  of  its  kind,  either 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  or  the  choicest  of  the  flock  or  herd,  and  next, 


204    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

in  the  destruction,  or  rather  chanp:c,  of  the  substance  of  these 
things,  by  fire  or  by  manducation.  Sacrifice,  therefore,  had  its  con- 
summation in  this  destruction  or  cliange  of  substance,  which  con- 
stituted the  essence  of  the  mystical  rite. — IV.  Lockhart. 

WORSHIP  WITHOUT  SACRiriCE   LIKE  THE  CROSS   WITHOUT  CHRIST 

The  Cross  without  the  fi_:Ture  of  Him  who  made  the  Cross  glorious, 
is  an  apt  type  of  the  worship  without  a  sacrifice,  of  the  church  with- 
out the  adorable  Presence,  of  a  religion  without  the  inward  life  of 
the  Spirit.  Though  a  Catholic  church  be  poor  and  small,  though 
even  the  accustomed,  silent  worshipers  be  absent,  still  the  veiled 
Tabernacle  and  the  red  glimmering  of  the  lamp  witness  a  Presence 
which  fills  the  place  with  warmth  and  life.  We  feel  that  it  is  a  home, 
the  home  of  Jesus  in  His  sacramental  life,  and  we  can  say  with  most 
solemn  conviction,  "How  terrible  is  this  place!  This  is  no  other  but 
the  House  of  God  and  the  Gate  of  Heaven"  (Gen.  XXVHI,  17). 

—Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  HOLY  S.4CRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS 

A  certain  Saint  while  attending  holy  i\Iass  had  a  remarkable  vision. 
He  beheld  in  the  church  a  tree  spreading  its  branches  throughout  the 
holy  place.  From  the  branches  of  the  tree  lovely  flowers  fell  down 
upon  those  present,  but  in  a  peculiar  manner.  Some  of  the  flowers 
dropped  beside  worshippers  upon  the  ground;  some  fell  upon  the 
heads  of  others,  but  immediately  faded;  while  other  flowers  rested 
upon  the  heads  of  worshippers  and  retained  all  their  beauty  and 
freshness.  This  tree  was  a  symbol  of  the  blessings  that  during  the 
Saviour's  unbloody  sacrifice  in  holy  Mass  are  abundantly  poured  out 
upon  mankind,  when  the  Divine  gifts  of  Grace  drop  down  like  magnif- 
icent flowers.  In  the  instance  of  indifferent  persons  they  fall  un- 
availing to  the  ground;  lukewarm  worshippers  receive  them,  but  let 
them  wither  without  making  use  of  them;  while  they  stay  with,  and 
adorn.  God-fearing  souls. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

HOLY  MASS 

As  often  as  thou  sayest  or  hearest  Mass,  it  ought  to  seem  to  thee 
as  great,  new,  and  delightful  as  if  Christ  that  same  day,  first  descend- 
ing into  the  Virgin's  womb,  had  been  made  man :  or.  hanging  on  the 
Cross,  was  suffering  and  dying  for  the  salvation  of  mankind. 

— Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  PERFECT  S.\CRIFICE 

The  Sacrifice  on  Calvary  was  a  perfect  sacrifice.  But  there  was 
no  Communion  there,  and  for  this  reason  we  do  not  believe  Com- 
munion to  be  the  essence  of  the  sacrifice. — Thomas  J .  Gerrard. 

Melchisedech,  the  king  of  Salem,  bringing  forth  bread  and  wine, 
for  he  was  the  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God, — Blessed  him  and 
said:  Blessed  be  Abram  by  the  Most  High  God,  ivho  created  Heaven 
and  earth. — Gen.  XIV,  18-19. 

Christ  also  hath  loved  us,  and  hath  delivered  Himself  for  us,  an 
Oblation  and  a  Sacrifice  to  God  for  an  odour  of  sweetness. — Eph.  V,  2. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  205 

/  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts:  and  I  will  not 
receive  a  gift  of  your  hand. — For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to 
the  going  dozvit.  My  Name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  and  in  every 
place  there  is  Sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to  My  Name  a  clean 
Oblation:  for  My  Name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts. — Mai.  I,  lo-ii. 

HOLY  MASS  SATISFIES  DIVINE  JUSTICE 

Which  of  us  can  turn  to  God  without  experiencing;;  a  sense  of 
guiltiness?  What  is  it  that  makes  us  dread  death  but  the  appalling 
prospect  of  having  to  give  an  account  of  our  lives  to  Him  in  whose 
sight  even  the  angels  are  not  pure?  And  as  we  shrink  at  the  thought 
of  that  dread  ordeal,  we  long  for  some  powerful  being  to  plead  our 
cause.  Conscious  of  our  weakness,  and  convinced  of  our  poverty, 
we  know  that  no  multiplication  of  penance,  not  even  the  immolation 
of  our  life,  would  adequately  satisfy  for  the  offenses  we  have  com- 
mitted against  the  Sovereign  Majesty.  In  the  Mass,  however,  each 
one  of  us  has  an  infinite  satisfaction  to  present  to  God  for  his  personal 
account.  Through  it,  if  we  will,  Jesus  Christ  satisfies  the  Divine 
justice  for  us,  and  invokes  upon  our  head  mercy  and  pardon. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vanghan. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  CALVARY  AND  THE  SACRIFICE   OF  THE   MASS 

Although  the  sacrifice  of  Calvary  and  that  of  the  Mass  are  one 
and  the  same,  yet  there  are  some  accidental  differences.  There  is  a 
difiference  of  purpose  and  a  difference  in  the  manner  of  offering. 
On  Calvary  the  sacrifice  was  ofifercJ  for  the  redemption  of  mankind, 
and,  in  this  respect,  was  completed  once  for  all.  But  its  efficacy  was 
not,  there  and  then,  applied  to  every  soul  that  needed  it.  This  was  to 
be  the  work  of  time,  and  the  means  by  which  that  efficacy  was  to  be 
wrought  were  to  be  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  and  the  Sacraments. 
Further,  the  sacrifice  on  Calvary  was  one  in  which  there  was  real 
bloodshedding  and  death.  But  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  like  that 
of  Melchisedech,  a  clean  sacrifice,  without  blood  and  death.  The 
Priest  and  Victim,  however,  are  the  same.  In  the  Mass  the  chief 
Priest  is  Christ  Himself;  the  human  priest,  who  celebrates,  is  but 
His  minister.  In  the  Mass  the  Victim  is  Christ  Himself,  really 
present  under  the  forms  of  bread-  and  wine.  Whatever  good,  there- 
fore, we  derive  through  the  Mass  has  its  source  and  origin  in  the 
Sacrifice  of  Calvary.  The  Mass,  therefore,  although  it  does  represent 
Calvary,  is  not  merely  a  representation.  It  is  a  representation  and 
mystical   continuation    and   repetition   of    Calvary. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

HEARING  HOLT  MASS 

St.  Isidore  was  a  poor  labourer  who  worked  for  a  rich  farmer. 
St.  Isidore  loved  dearly  to  be  nt  Mass  every  day.  His  employer  and 
fellow-servants  found  fault  with  him  for  hearing  Mass  every  day, 
and  charged  him  with  neglecting  his  work  in  order  to  do  so.  One 
day  the  farmer,  with  the  intention  of  rebuking  him,  went  out  into 
the  field  which  the  Saint  had  been  ordered  to  plough.     Isidore  was 


206    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

not  there,  for  he  was  then  hearing  Mass  in  the  neighbouring  church, 
but  the  farmer  beheld  an  angel  ploughing  in  place  of  Isidore.  His 
employer  nevermore  found  fault  with  Isidore  for  going  to  Mass,  but 
thanked  God  for  giving  him  a  workman  who  brought  Heaven's 
blessing  on  his  farm. — Ferreol  Girardey,  C.SS.R. 

THE  PRIEST  GOO'S  REPRESENTATIVE 

Christ  continues  as  the  invisible  High  Priest  to  ofYer  the  Holy 
Mass  to  God;  His  visible  representative  on  earth  is  the  priest,  who 
at  the  same  time  is  the  representative  of  the  people,  on  whose  behalf 
the  sacrifice  is  carried  out.  He  is  not  merely  chosen  and  appointed; 
he  is  consecrated  by  the  Sacrament  which  imparts  to  him  a  share  in 
the  priesthood  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  character  is  not  something 
merely  attached  to  his  personality,  as  an  office;  it  enters  into  and 
forms  a  feature  of  his  very  soul,  never  to  be  effaced  in  time  or 
eternity.  No  wonder  that  the  Church  has  surrounded  the  ordination 
of  a  priest  with  the  most  impressive  ceremonies  of  her  ritual. 

— James  J.  Fox. 

GOD  HIGHER  THAN  THE  KING 

It  is  related  in  the  life  of  Blessed  Thomas  More,  that  he  never 
omitted  to  hear  Mass,  no  matter  how  many  or  how  great  his  occupa- 
tions were.  One  day  while  he  was  hearing  Mass,  a  messenger  from 
the  king  came  to  him  to  say  that  His  Majesty  required  his  immediate 
presence,  to  consult  him  on  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance.  The 
holy  man  sent  back  this  answer  to  the  king:  "Tell  His  Majesty  to 
have  a  little  patience,  as  I  am  at  this  moment  engaged  with  a 
Sovereign  who  is  higher  than  he,  for  I  am  hearing  Mass.  As  soon 
as  my  audience  with  the  King  of  Heaven  is  ended,  I  will  at  once  obey 
the  desire  of  my  earthly  king." 

DISTRACTION   AT   HOLY  MASS 

The  story  is  told  of  an  aged  peasant  woman  who,  in  order  to  obtain 
a  special  favour  from  God,  made  a  promise  to  hear  a  certain  number 
of  Masses  during  the  year.  She  kept  her  promise  and  attended  Mass 
every  day,  rain  or  shine.  On  returning  home  she  was  wont  to  put  a 
bean  in  a  little  bag,  so  as  to  keep  count  of  the  Masses  heard.  When 
she  thought  she  had  heard  the  promised  number  of  Masses  she  opened 
the  bag,  but — oh,  horror,  of  the  many  beans  she  had  placed  within  it, 
but  a  single  one  was  there.  She  was  much  alarmed  at  this,  and  con- 
fided the  matter  to  a  priest,  who  put  a  few  questions  to  her,  as  to 
what  she  had  done  on  the  way  to  church,  and  with  what  devotion  she 
had  assisted  at  the  Masses.  It  was  discovered  that  on  the  way  to 
church  she  had  gossiped  with  others  about  the  faults  of  neighbours, 
whilst  during  Mass  she  had  hardly  ever  thought  of  Divine  things. 
The  priest  then  said  to  her:  "Do  you  see  the  reason  why  all  these 
Masses  were  lost  to  you?  Your  gossip,  your  curiosity,  you  volun- 
tary distractions,  have  robbed  you  of  your  merits.  Meanwhile  thank 
God  that  at  least  one  Mass  heard  has  been  profitable  to  you." 

—P.  Hehel.  S.  J. 


PENANCE  »0Y 

PENANCE 

PENANCE  A  CONSEQUENCE  OF  SIN 

Penance,  let  us  bear  in  mind,  formed  no  part  of  God's  original 
plan.  It  is  one  of  the  consequences  of  sin;  a  penalty  we  have  brought 
upon  ourselves.  God  destined  man  for  happiness.  His  will  was  that 
man  should  live  in  a  state  of  sweet  content,  unoppressed  by  pain  and 
sorrow.  God  created  him  innocent  and  joyous;  surrounded  him  with 
all  that  could  administer  to  his  wants  and  promote  his  well-being. 
And,  had  man  only  remained  faithful  and  obedient  he  would  have 
known  nothing  of  anguish,  or  shame.  Quite  the  contrary  !  His  life 
would  have  been  one  of  unclouded  pleasure  and  delight  in  this  world, 
only  to  be  succeeded  by  a  state  of  eternal  pleasure  and  delight  in 
the  next. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

Unless  you  do  penance,  you  shall  all  likewise  perish. — Luke  XIII,  3. 

//  the  wicked  do  penance  for  all  his  sins  which  he  hath  committed, 
and  keep  all  My  commandments,  and  do  judgment  and  justice,  living 
he  shall  live,  and  shall  not  die. — Ez.  XVHI,  21. 

The  Lord  dclayeth  not  His  promise,  a^y  some  imagine,  but  dealeth 
patiently  for  your  sake,  not  willing  that  any  should  perish,  but  that 
all  should  return  to  penance. — II.  Peter,  III,  9. 

Say  to  the  children  of  Israel:  When  a  man  or  woman  shall  have 
committed  any  of  all  the  sins  that  men  are  wont  to  commit,  and  by 
negligence  shall  have  transgressed  the  commandment  of  the  Lord, 
and  offended, — They  shall  confess  their  sin,  and  restore  the  principal 
itself,  and  the  fifth  part  over  and  above,  to  him  against  whom  they 
have  sinned. — Numb.  V,  6-7. 

/  zuill  forgive  their  iniquity,  and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more. 

—Jer.  XXXI,  34. 

Delay  not  to  be  converted  to  the  Lord,  and  defer  it  not  from  day 
to  day. — For  His  wrath  shall  come  on  a  sudden,  and  in  the  time  of 
vengeance  He  will  destroy  thee. — Ecclus.  V,  8,  9. 

NO    SIN    WITHOUT    PUNISHMENT 

What  you  have  done  cannot  remain  unpunished ;  and  wherein  a 
man  has  sinned,  he  shall  also  be  chastised;  hence  you  must  either 
punish  yourself,  or  God  will  punish  you. — St.  Augustine. 

PENITENCE 

No  sin  remains  without  punishment,  either  man  administers  the 
punishment,  or  God. — 5"/.  Theresa. 

Be  not  without  fear  about  sin  forgiven,  and  add  not  sin  upon  sin. 

— Ecclus.  V.  5. 


208    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

I  said  I  will  confess  against  myself  my  injustice  to  the  Lord;  and 
Thou  hast  forgiven  the  wickedness  of  my  sin. — Ps.  XXXI,  5. 

/  confess  the  si}is  of  the  children  of  Israel  by  zvhich  they  have 
sinned  against  Thee:  I  and  my  father's  house  have  sinned. — IV e  have 
been  seduced  by  vanity,  and  have  not  kept  Thy  Commandments,  and 
ceremonies,  and  judgments. — II.  Esd.  I,  6-7. 

COMPUNCTION   OF  HEART 

Yet,  that  we  have  not  Divine  comforts,  or  seldomer  experience 
them,  is  our  own  fault;  because  we  do  not  seek  compunction  of  heart, 
nor  cast  off  altogether  vain  and  outward  satisfactions. 

— Thomas  a  Kcmpis. 

LIGHT  AND  STRENGTH  FROM  GOD  NEEDED  FOR  REPENTANCE 

As  it  was  needful  that  Paul  should  be  taken  by  the  hand  and 
led  to  the  feet  of  God's  minister  who  was  appointed  to  tell  him  what 
he  should  do,  so  the  soul  in  sin  needs  the  light  of  God  to  see  its 
miserable  condition,  it  needs  the  strength  of  God  to  come  to  the  feet 
of  Christ.  Once  there,  there  is  no  need  of  further  exhortation,  be- 
cause, if  God  only  shows  it  in  its  own  wretchedness  and  misery,  if  it 
sees  the  leprosy  with  which  sin  covers  it.  it  will  pray  as  the  leper 
prayed,  pray  not  in  the  usual  conventional  form,  but  pray  with  a 
strong  cry  to  heaven. — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.S.P. 

My  son,  hast  thou  sinned?  do  so  no  more:  but  for  thy  former  sins 
also  pray  that  they  may  be  forgiven  thee. — Ecclus.  XXI,  i. 

/  have  blotted  out  thy  iniquities  as  a  cloud,  and  thy  sins  as  a  mist: 
return  to  Me;  for  I  have  redeemed  thee. — Is.  XLIV,  22. 

The  bruised  reed  He  shall  not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax  He 
shall  not  quench.    He  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth. 

—Is.  XLII,  3. 

Return  to  Me,  and  I  will  return  to  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 

—Mai.  Ill,  7. 

Thou  therefore,  O  Son  of  Man,  sav  to  the  House  of  Israel:  Thus 
you  have  spoken,  saying:  Our  iniquities  and  our  sins  are  upon  us,  and 
we  pine  azvay  in  them:  how  then  can  ur  Ircef — Say  to  them:  As  I 
live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  desire  not  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  that 
the  zuicked  turn  from  his  way,  and  live. — Ez.  XXXIII,  lo-ii. 

My  son,  in  thy  sickness  neglect  not  thyself,  but  pray  to  the  Lord, 
and  He  shall  heal  thee. — Turn  away  from  si7i,  and  order  thy  luinds 
aright,  and  cleanse  thy  heart  from  all  offence. 

—Ecclus.  XXXVIII,  9.  13. 

THE  FATHER'S  MERCY 

The  father  of  the  prodigal  son  said  to  his  sons;  "Bring  forth 
quickly  the  first  robe"  (Luke  xv,  22).  He  did  not  say:  "Whence 
did   you   come,   where  have  you  been,   what  did  you  do  with  your 


PENANCE  209 

inheritance?"     Thus  you  see   that  true  love  does  not  see  the  sins. 
The  father's  mercy  was  not  dehberating. — St.  Peter  Chrysologus. 

PENITENT  SAINTS  IN  THE  MAJORITY 

The  penitent  Saints  have  far  outnumbered  the  innocent  Saints. 
The  evident  design  of  God  has  been  to  permit  them  to  sink  low  and 
to  rise  again  in  order  to  give  courage  to  despairing  sinners.  The 
word  of  God  must  be  justified  before  the  world  that  the  Blood  of 
Jesus  is  able  to  blot  out  all  sin. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

EQUALITY   BEFORE   GOD 

When  Pius  IV.  lay  dying  there  came  to  him  in  haste  one  who 
loved  him  tenderly,  and  who  was  in  turn  most  specially  beloved  by 
the  dying  pontiff,  St.  Charles  Borromeo.  And  as  he  threw  himself 
on  his  knees  besides  the  bed,  and  felt  the  trembling  hand  of  the 
old  man  resting  on  his  head:  "Holy  Father,"  he  said,  "dear  Holy 
Father,  grant  me  one  last  favour,  only  one,  and  yet  the  greatest  of 
all.  Oh,  dear  Holy  Father,  the  time  has  come  for  you  to  appear 
before  God.  Forget  everything  and  everybody  else,  and  think  only  of 
your  own  soul." — Raphael  Moss,  O.P. 

THERE  IS  ALWAYS  HOPE  FOR  SINNERS 

We  adore  the  Divine  goodness  and  mercy  of  Jesus,  manifested  in 
the  gentle  words  to  Judas.  It  is  our  consolation.  No  matter  how 
seriously  and  frequently  we  have  sinned,  there  is  hope. 

—C.  M.  Thuente,  O.  P. 

JUDAS  UnGHT  HAVE  BEEN  ABSOLVED 

If  that  unfortunate  traitor,  Judas  (after  the  Apostles  had  received 
the  power  of  forgiving  sins),  instead  of  hanging  himself  as  he  did, 
and  so  losing  his  soul  for  ever,  had  gone  to  St.  Peter  and  said  to 
him:  "Will  you  hear  any  confession?"  St.  Peter  would  have  said: 
"Yes,  kneel  dowm  and  begin."  ''O  Peter,  what  a  miserable  wretch  I 
have  been  !  It  was  I  who  betrayed  and  sold  Our  Divine  Master." 
"Judas,"  St.  Peter  would  have  said,  "I  did  worse  than  you,  for  I 
declared  three  times,  even  with  an  oath,  that  I  did  not  know  Him. 
Make  your  act  of  sincere  contrition,  and  I  will  give  you  absolution." 

But,  alas  !  Judas  did  not  repent,  and,  like  many  who  have  followed 
his  wicked  example  in  betraying  their  Divine  Master  by  committing 
sin,  and  neglecting  to  avail  themselves  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance, 
was  lost  for  ever. 

//  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  made  as  white  as  snow: 
and  if  they  be  red  as  crimson,  they  shall  be  white  as  wool. — Is.  I,  i8. 

Be  penitent,  therefore,  and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be 
blotted  out. — Acts.  Ill,  19. 

THE  LOVE  or  A  MOTHER:  A  PICTURE  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD 

Some  years  ago,  there  was  a  poor  widow  who  had  an  only  son. 
She  loved  this  son  dearly,  and  spared  no  pains  to  instil  into  his 
heart  the  principles  of  virtue.    But  when  he  grew  up  he  began  to  go 


210    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

with  wicked  companions,  and  soon  became  the  scandal  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood. He  even  struck  his  mother,  and  threatened  to  kill  her. 
This  unhappy  young  man  soon  gave  himself  up  to  every  crime,  but 
the  day  of  retribution  came  at  last;  he  was  arrested  and  cast  into 
prison.'  One  day  a  stranger  knocked  at  the  prison  door.  The  jailer 
came  to  see  who  it  was,  and  learned  to  his  surprise  that  it  was  the 
mother  of  this  wicked  young  man.  "Ah  !"  said  she,  weeping,  "I  wish 
to  see  my  son."  "What!"  said  the  jailer  in  astonishment,  "do  you 
wish  to  see  that  wretch?  Have  you  forgotten  all  that  he  has  done 
to  you?"  "Ah!  I  know  it  well,"  replied  the  widow,  "but  he  is  my 
son."  "But  has  he  not  struck  you  and  abused  you,  and  even  threatened 
to  kill  you?"  said  the  jailer.  "That  is  quite  true,"  v/as  the  answer; 
"but  I  am  still  his  mother,  and  he  is  my  son."  "But,"  again  cried  the 
jailer,  "he  has  not  only  abused  you  and  robbed  you,  but  he  has  even 
shamefully  abandoned  you;  such  an  unnatural  son  is  not  fit  to  live." 
"Ah  !  but  he  is  my  child,  and  I  am  his  mother."  And  the  poor  widow 
sobbed  and  wept,  till  at  last  the  jailer  was  touched,  and  permitted  her 
to  enter  the  prison;  and  the  fond  mother  threw  her  arms  round  the 
neck  of  that  unnatural,  ungrateful  son,  and  pressed  him  again  and 
again  to  her  breaking  heart. 

God  loves  us  poor  sinners  even  more  than  a  mother  loves  her 
child.  With  what  confidence,  then,  ought  you  to  hope  for  pardon 
when  you  are  sorry  for  having  offended  Him  ! 

THE  SACKAMENT  OF  PENANCE  A  COURT  OF  MEKCT 

I  said  that  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  is  a  court  of  justice — but, 
indeed,  it  is  rather  a  court  of  mercy.  Justice,  strict  justice,  indeed, 
has  been  done  for  all  sins;  but  it  was  done  upon  that  Innocent  One 
who  hung  upon  the  Cross;  and  it  is  because  of  the  dreadful  punish- 
ment borne  by  Him  that  in  the  sacred  tribunal  of  Penance  the  sen- 
tence is  always  one  of  mercy,  if  certain  conditions  are  fulfilled  by  the 
accused.  Yes,  the  one  object  of  the  tribunal  of  Penance  is  to  pass  a 
sentence,  not  of  condemnation,  but  of  release,  of  acquittal,  of  full 
and  free  forgiveness.  It  is  true  that  a  sentence  of  condemnation  7nay 
be  pronounced;  that  is,  the  sinner  may  be  left  under  the  condemna- 
tion that  he  has  already  brought  upon  himself  by  his  own  act ;  for  the 
Divine  commission  to  the  Apostles,  and  through  them  to  their  suc- 
cessors, was  not  only  to  loose,  but  to  bind;  not  only  to  forgive,  but 
to  retain  sins.  But,  thank  God,  the  sentence  of  condemnation,  of 
binding,  of  retaining,  is  rarely  pronounced;  and,  if  it  be  pronounced, 
it  is  the  fault  of  the  sinner;  primarily  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  is 
intended  as  a  tribunal  of  reconciliation  and  pardon. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

WHAT  ST.  FRANCIS  THOUGHT  OF  A  PENITENT 

It  is  related  that  a  young  man  once  went  to  confession  to  St. 
Francis  de  Sales,  and  after  having  confessed  with  genuine  sorrow 
the  great  offenses  he  had  committed  against  God,  he  said  to  the 
Saint:  "Father,  what  do  you  think  of  me  when  you  hear  such 
enormous  sins?"  "My  son,"  answered  the  holy  man,  "what  do  I 
think  of  you  ?  I  think  that  you  are  a  Saint.  A  moment  ago  you  were 
God's  enemy,  but  now  the  Almighty  has  pardoned  you  and  made  you 
one  of  His  elect." 


PENANCE  311 


THE  POWER  TO  FORGIVE  SIN  ALSO  CLAIMED  BY  THE  STATE 

It  is  not  easy  to  understand  the  objection  of  those  who  reject  the 
idea  that  the  Church  of  God  has  the  power  to  forgive  sin.  Every 
organization  claims  this  power  and  exercises  it.  Even  the  sects, 
while  denying  it  in  theory,  claim  it  in  practice,  for  when  a  member 
has  violated  their  ordinances  they  may  expel  him,  but,  on  his 
repenting  and  fulfilling  certain  conditions,  they  receive  him  back 
again.  The  state  also,  and  every  association,  no  matter  for  what 
purpose  originated,  all  have  ways  and  means  by  which  a  delinquent 
member  may  be  restored  to  full  fellowship.  Now,  why  should  not 
this  be  the  case  in  that  society  instituted  by  Christ  to  impart  the 
merits  of  His  redemption  to  individuals?  Surely  there  must  be 
some  way  in  which  a  man,  who  has  been  so  unfortunate  to  lose  his 
citizenship  in  that  kingdom,  may  be  reinstated. — F.  G.  Lents. 

A  SAINTS  PREPARATION   FOR  CONFESSION 

A  holy  bishop,  who  lived  in  the  last  century,  used  to  make 
three  stations,  after  examining  his  conscience :  the  first  in  hell,  the 
second  in  Heaven  and  the  third  on  Mount  Calvary.  He  thought 
of  hell,  and  how  he  deserved  to  be  there,  and  he  thanked  God  for 
having  preserved  him  from  it,  and  prayed  for  grace  to  avoid  it  to 
the  end.  He  thought  of  Heaven,  that  might  have  been  closed  to 
him  by  his  sins,  and  he  called  upon  the  Saints  to  pray  for  his 
admission  thither.  These  two  stations  served  to  awaken  holy  fear 
in  his  heart.  In  order  to  kindle  his  love  he  made  the  third  station 
on  Mount  Calvary,  and  there  contemplated  his  crucified  Saviour, 
saying:  "This  is  my  doing.  I  have  caused  His  suffering,  and  with 
other  sinners  I  have  nailed  Him  to  the  Cross.  O  Jesus,  how  could 
I  treat  Thee  thus?  Thou  hast  loved  me  infinitely,  and  I  ought  to 
love  Thee  infinitely,  were  I  capable  of  doing  so.  Because  Thou 
art  infinitely  worthy  of  love,  I  love  Thee  and  repent  of  having 
sinned  against  Thee." — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

THE  VISION  OF  ST.  ARSENICS 

St.  Arsenius  once  saw  in  a  vision  the  pitiable  state  of  souls 
defiled  with  mortal  sin  that  they  are  unwilling  to  remove  by 
confession.  An  angel  appeared  to  him  and  said:  "Come  with  me,  I 
will  show  you  how  men  busy  themselves  in  the  world."  St.  Arsenius 
was  at  once  transported  to  a  great  forest,  where  there  was  a  man 
trying  to  carry  a  great  bundle  of  wood  on  his  shoulders.  The  load 
being  too  heavy,  he  went  to  fetch  some  more  logs,  as  if  by  having  a 
greater  weight  to  carry  he  would  be  better  able  to  lift  it. 

The  angel  then  led  Arsenius  to  a  spring,  where  were  some 
people  engaged  in  drawing  water  and  pouring  it  into  a  barrel  full  of 
holes.  Whilst  the  Saint  gazed  in  wonder  at  this  strange  proceeding, 
the  angel  said :  "Come  with  me ;  I  will  show  you  something  still 
more  surprising,"  and  they  walked  on  until  they  met  two  men,  who 
were  trying  in  vain  to  pass  through  a  doorway.  Each  of  them 
was'  holding  the  end  of  an  iron  bar,  and  as  this  was  longer  than  the 
doorway  was  wide,  the  ends  always  struck  the  wall,  and  their 
efforts  to  enter  were  in   vain.     Arsenius   could  not  help   laughing. 


212    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

"Tell  me,"  said  he  to  the  angel,  "who  these  fools  are  and  what 
they  want  to  do."  The  angel  looked  grave,  however,  as  he  replied : 
"These  men  resemble  those  proud  people  who  fancy  themselves  irre- 
sistible; they  may  try  very  hard  to  enter  Heaven,  but  they  will  not 
humble  themselves  so  as  to  pass  through  the  narrow  gate.  The  man 
with  the  bundle  of  wood  is  like  a  sinner  who,  instead  of  diminishing 
his  load  by  confession  and  penance,  adds  to  it  by  bad  confessions, 
until  at  last  he  is  crushed  under  the  ever-increasing  burden.  The 
people  pouring  water  into  the  barrel  full  of  holes  are  like  those 
who  do  many  good  works,  but  also  commit  many  sins;  and  because 
they  do  not  at  once  repent  of  their  sins  and  confess  them,  all  the 
merit  of  their  good  works,  performed  whilst  they  are  in  a  state 
of  mortal  sin,  is  lost." — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

PAKDON  PROMISED,  BUT  NOT  DELAY 

He  who  has  promised  pardon  to  penitents,  has  not  promised 
to-morrow  to  sinners. — St.  Gregory. 

Boast  not  for  to-morroiv,  for  thou  knowest  not  what  the  day  to 
come  may  bring  forth. — Prov.  XXVH,  I, 

BELYING  ON  A  DEATHBED  CONVERSION 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI.  of  England  there  lived  a  man 
notorious  for  his  frivolous  life  and  many  crimes.  The  Blessed  Thomas 
More,  having  visited  him  on  one  occasion,  begged  him  to  change 
his  evil  life  and  do  penance.  "Oh !  don't  be  alarmed  about  me," 
replied  the  hardened  sinner.  "I  shall  one  day  repent.  There  are 
three  little  words  that  shall  act  as  a  talisman  for  me  at  the  last — 
'Lord,  pardon  me.'  "  "Ah !  my  friend,"  answered  Blessed  Thomas, 
"take  care.  You  may  lose  your  soul."  But  the  advice  was  lost 
on  the  unfortunate  man ;  he  continued  to  live  in  sin  as  before. 

Not  long  afterwards,  it  happened  that,  being  on  horseback,  he  had 
to  cross  a  bridge  that  spanned  a  deep  river.  A  mere  trifle  caused  the 
horse  to  start,  and  with  one  wild  bound  the  animal  jumped  with 
its  luckless  rider  over  the  parapet  into  the  river.  The  onlookers 
heard  his  words,  "May  the  devil — ,"  but  the  curse  died  on  the  lips 
that  uttered  it,  for  the  unhappy  man  was  never  seen  alive  again. 
Such  is  the  risk  of  relying  on  a  deathbed  conversion. 

— Frederick  Renter. 

Because  I  called,  and  you  refused;  I  stretched  out  My  hand, 
and  there  zvas  none  that  regarded. — You  have  despised  all  My 
counsel,  and  have  neglected  My  reprehensions. — Prov.  I,  24-25. 

Behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  not  shortened  that  it  cannot  save, 
neither  is  His  car  heavy  that  it  cannot  hear — But  your  iniquities  have 
divided  between  you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  His  Face 
from  you  that  He  should  not  hear. — Is.  LIX,  1-2. 

TEMPTED   TO    DESPAtR 

The  way  of  human  life  has  been  likened  to  a  great  altar  stairs 
ihat  sweeps  up  to  the  mercy  seat  of  the  Almighty.     We  figure  men 


PENANCE  213 

erect  of  form,  with  eyes  fixed  upon  the  light,  advancing  and  ascend- 
ing, step  above  step  into  the  very  tabernacle  of  God.  When,  there- 
fore, we  consider  ourselves  and  our  own  progress  we  are  tempted  to 
despair.  We  climb  painfully,  we  stumble,  we  are  dragged  down. 
The  light  is  blurred,  the  very  stairs  grow  dim,  we  grope  in  vain, 
and  helpless  and  hopeless,  we  lie  down  in  the  mire. — P.  C.  Yorke. 

In  the  life  of  St.  Philip  Neri  it  is  related  that  there  was  once 
a  nun  whom  the  devil  tempted  to  despair.  He  tried  to  make  her 
think  that  it  would  be  quite  impossible  for  her  to  get  to  Heaven, 
because  she  had  so  often  offended  God  during  the  course  of  her 
life.  The  temptation  made  her  very  miserable,  and  all  the  words 
of  encouragement  that  kind  friends  said  to  her  did  not  bring  back 
peace  to  her  soul.  St.  Philip,  hearing  of  this,  went  one  day  to  see 
her.  Everyone  looked  upon  him  as  a  great  Saint,  and  followed  his 
advice  as  if  they  had  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself. 
So  the  nun  was  very  glad  when  she  was  told  that  he  wanted  to 
speak  to  her.  "My  child,"  he  said,  "can  you  tell  me  the  reason  why 
the  Son  of  God  came  down  from  Heaven  and  died  upon  the  Cross?" 
"Yes,  Father,  it  was  for  poor  sinners — to  save  them  from  hell,  and 
to  open  Heaven  for  them."  "Now  tell  me,"  said  the  Saint,  "what 
are  you?  Are  you  not  a  sinner?"  "Oh,  yes,  Father,  I  am  a  great 
sinner;  I  have  offended  God  so  much."  "Well,  since  that  is  the 
case,  it  was  specially  for  you  that  Jesus  came — to  purchase  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  for  you."  These  words  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  good  religious  now  saw  how  Satan  had  been  trying  to  deceive 
her.  From  that  time  till  the  day  of  her  happy  death  the  thoughts 
of  despair  never  gave  her  any  more  trouble. 

SAVED  FROM  DESPAIR 

One  day  St.  Francis  de  Sales  was  informed  that  there  was  in 
the  prison  of  the  city  in  which  he  dwelt,  a  man  condemned  to  death, 
and  who  was  crying  out  in  despair  that  he  was  lost.  The  Saint, 
full  of  compassion,  went  to  the  prison  to  try  to  prepare  him  for 
a  happy  death.  "It  is  quite  useless,"  said  the  unhappy  man,  when 
he  discovered  why  the  Saint  had  come;  "it  is  quite  useless  to  speak 
to  me  of  God's  mercy,  for  there  is  no  hope  for  me."  "But,  my 
son,"  said  the  Saint,  "would  you  not  rather  be  with  God  in  Heaven 
for  ever  than  with  Satan?"  "Certainly,"  he  answered;  "but  what 
can  God  do  for  such  a  wretch  as  I  am?"  "Ah,  my  son,  it  was  for 
sinners  such  as  you  that  Jesus  Christ  came  from  Heaven."  "But 
would  it  not  be  an  insult,  for  a  criminal  like  me  to  have  recourse  to 
the  mercy  of  God?"  "An  insult!"  exclaimed  the  Saint.  "On  the 
contrary,  it  would  be  an  insult  to  Him  if  you  thought  that  He  would 
refuse  to  pardon  sinners  for  whom  He  died."  "But  is  not  God 
just?  If  so,  then  He  must  condemn  me,  because  I  have  been  so 
wicked."  "Yes,  God  is  just,  but  He  is  also  merciful,  and  He  will 
pardon  you,  if  only  you  with  a  humble  and  contrite  heart  ask  His 
forgiveness."  Touched  by  these  words,  the  poor  man  burst  into 
tears,  and  cried  out:  "Then,  O  my  Jesus,  I  throw  myself  into  the 
arms  of  Thy  mercy;  I  give  myself  entirely  to  Thee."  And  he  died 
a  most  edifying  death. 


214    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

EXCUSES   FOR    SINNING 

The  greatest  error  of  man  is  that  after  committing  sin  he  seeks 
his  refuge  in  excuses,  as  though  this  meant  a  manifestation  of 
penitence.  It  is  grievously  sinful  to  do  this  because  it  is  proof 
that  the  sinner  is  not  truly  penitent.  "Incline  not  my  heart  to  evil 
v^rords:  to  make  excuse  in  sins."     (Psalm  140,  IV.) — Cassiodorus. 

CONFESSION 

He  who  is  afflicted  with  an  ulcer  must,  if  he  wish  to  be  cured, 
show  it  to  a  physician :  otherwise  it  will  fester  and  bring  on  death. 

— St.  John  Chrysostom. 

THE   CONFESSION   OF  SINS 

If  you  yourself  do  not  uncover  your  sin,  God  will  uncover  it. 
If  you,  as  man,  hide  your  sin.  He,  as  God,  will  make  it  public.  Hence 
He  proclaims  through  the  prophet:  "I  will  discover  thy  shame  to 
thy  face,  and  will  show  thy  nakedness  to  the  nations,  and  thy  shame 
to  kingdoms."      (Nahum  III,  5). — St.   Thomas  of   Villanova. 

ASHAMJED  TO  CONFESS  SENS 

St.  Antonius  relates,  that  a  holy  solitary  once  saw  the  devil 
standing  beside  a  certain  person  who  wished  to  go  to  confession. 
The  solitary  asked  the  fiend  what  he  was  doing  there.  The  enemy 
said  in  reply:  "I  now  restore  to  the  penitents  what  I  before  took 
away  from  them ;  I  took  away  from  them  shame  while  they  were 
committing  sin ;  I  now  restore  it  that  they  may  have  a  horror  of 
confession." 

THE   SEAL   OF  CONFESSION 

In  1889,  Father  Dumoulin,  a  French  priest,  was  condemned  to 
live  all  his  life  on  a  desert  island  with  the  worst  of  criminals,  because 
he  had  been  condemned  for  murdering  and  robbing  a  rich  woman. 
The  priest  made  no  defense  at  the  trial.  Some  years  after,  the 
priest's  sacristan,  being  about  to  die,  acknowledged  that  he  himself 
had  murdered  and  robbed  that  rich  woman  and  that  he  had  gone 
at  once  to  confession  to  Father  Dumoulin,  in  order  to  keep  his  lips 
sealed,  and  had  arranged  things  so  as  to  throw  all  suspicion  on  the 
priest.  Thus  the  innocent  and  faithful  priest  suffered  public  disgrace 
and  terrible  punishment  rather  than  betray  the  seal  of  confession. 

— Ferreol  Girardey,  C.  SS.  R. 

THE  QUALITIES  OF  A  GOOD  CONFESSION 

The  qualities  of  a  good  confession  are,  in  the  first  place,  that  it 
should  be  hiimblc.  It  is  the  avowal  of  repeated  acts  of  revolt  and 
treachery  against  the  King  of  Kings ;  and,  like  the  repentant  prodigal 
and  humble  publican,  we  should  both  in  word  and  feeling  avow  in 
all  modesty  and  humility  our  guilt.  Next,  it  should  be  simple,  i.  e., 
limited  to  a  truthful  statement  of  our  misdeeds,  without  excuses  on 
one  side  or  exaggeration  on  the  other.  Again,  our  confession  should 
be  sincere,  telling  our  sins  as  they  are — mortal,  venial,  certain  or 
doubtful — laying  bare,  in  fact,  our  guilt,  as  we  candidly  think  it  to 
be  in  the  sight  of  Almighty  God.  Lastly,  our  confession  should  be 
entire  and  complete;  i.  e..  an  honest  declaration  of  all  our  grievous 


PENANCE  216 

sins,  with  any  attendinc:  circumstances  that  may  change  the  nature 
of  the  sin.  Wilfully  to  conceal  a  mortal  sin  in  confession  is  to  lie  to 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  commit  a  sacrilege. — William  Graham. 

8EIvF-ACCU8ATION  A  SURE  SIGN  OF  CONTRITION 

And  behold  the  Divine  insight  into  human  nature  of  Our  Lord 
when  He  made  this  self-accusation  of  the  sinner  the  condition  of 
forgiveness !  It  is  the  surest  sign  of  contrition  and  the  first  step 
toward  conversion.  He  who  accuses  himself  of  an  action  shows 
his  detestation  for  it;  he  punishes  himself  for  it  by  the  confusion 
which  the  avowal  causes.  Moreover,  by  this  confession  he  declares 
the  deed  to  be  his  no  longer;  he  cherishes  it  no  more  in  his  heart, 
and  regards  it  as  a  thing  to  be  condemned  and  that  he  would  wish 
to  disown.  So  the  confession  manifests  a  thorough  change  of  heart. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  confession ;  it  is  an  outward  protestation  that 
we  have  severed  all  internal  connection  with  our  sins,  that  we  no 
longer  suffer  them  in  our  hearts  and  minds  and  souls. 

— Charles  Bruchl. 

THE  PEACE  RESULTING  FROM   CONFESSION 

Where  is  the  Catholic  that  has  not  some  time  in  his  life  experi- 
enced the  comfort  of  heart  that  comes  from  confession;  that  has 
not  thanked  God  some  time  most  fervently  for  this  great  blessing? 
If  so,  it  was  at  that  period  of  life  when  he  had  dreaded  it  most  and 
kept  shy  of  it  most  studiously  for  many  days ;  when  he  had  almost 
begun  to  hate  it,  as  the  enemies  of  the  Church ;  when  it  had  nearly 
become  for  him  a  stumbling  block  and  a  ."^candal.  A  darker  hour 
had  led  him  into  a  more  disgraceful  deed ;  he  felt  the  whole  shame- 
fulness  of  his  guilt;  he  was  sick  at  the  thought  of  manifesting  his 
secret  shame  to  man ;  why,  he  could  not  have  whispered  it  to 
himself  aloud.  So  he  detested  this  institution  that  compelled  him  to 
divulge  the  sad  secret  of  his  shame  and  frailty  to  a  fellowman. 
But  he  found  not  peace;  remorse  tugged  violently  at  his  heart;  the 
shadow  of  his  sin  was  always  with  him.  With  great  repugnance  he 
approached  the  sacred  tribunal ;  in  an  agony  of  confusion  he  confessed 
his  foul  deed.  And  forthwith  peace  was  restored  to  his  tortured 
mind;  the  terrible  burden  was  taken  from  his  heart;  the  memory 
of  his  sin  lost  its  galling  bitterness.  Then  he  blessed  this  holy 
institution,  which  he  had  dreaded  so  much. — Charles  Bruehl. 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE  RESTORES  TO  THE  SOUL  ITS  SPLENDOUR 

St.  Mary  Magdalen  of  Pazzi  once  saw  a  soul  in  the  state  of 
grace,  and  its  splendor  was  so  overwhelming  that  she  almost  fainted 
at  the  sight.  Sin  destroys  all  this  beauty  and  stains  the  soul,  render- 
ing it  so  hideous  that  good  spirits  shrink  from  it  in  horror,  but  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance  restores  it.  The  evil  done  cannot  indeed  be 
undone,  but  all  the  stains  resulting  from  it  are  obliterated.  The 
same  Saint  was  once  in  the  convent  chapel  when  one  of  the  religious 
was  in  the  confessional,  and  she  saw  an  angel  letting  drops  of 
Blood  fall  from  a  chalice  upon  the  sister  as  she  knelt.  The  Blood 
had  scarcely  touched  her  when  she  began  to  shine  like  the  sun,  and 
St.  Mary  Magdalen,  full  of  holy  zeal,  exclaiming:  "Sprinkle  me, 
too,"  hastened  to  the  confessional. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 


216    ILLUSTRATIOXS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

A  SMALL  PENANCE  FOR  GREAT  SINS 

St.  Bernard  was  the  means  of  the  conversion  of  a  great  sinner 
called  Arnold,  who  held  a  high  position  in  the  world.  This  man 
made  to  the  Saint  a  sincere  and  humble  confession  of  all  the  sins 
and  crimes  he  had  committed.  St.  Bernard  mingled  his  tears  of 
joy  with  the  tears  of  contrition  which  flowed  from  the  eyes  of 
the  penitent,  and  imposed  on  him  as  a  penance  to  say  three  times  the 
"Our  Father." 

On  hearing  these  words  Arnold  looked  with  sadness  into  the 
face  of  the  Saint.  "O  my  Father,"  he  said,  "do  not  mock  me  in  this 
way.  A  fast  of  seven  years,  or  even  of  ten  years,  and  to  lie  on  a 
bed  of  ashes,  would  not  be  enough  to  make  reparation  for  my  past 
sinful  life;  and  you  give  me  as  a  penance  only  three  times  the 
'Our  Father.'  "  St.  Bernard  answered :  "My  son,  do  you  think  that 
you  know  better  than  I  what  penance  ought  to  be  given  you?" 
"Far  be  it  from  me  to  be  presumptuous,"  replied  Arnold ;  "but  I  beg 
of  vou  do  not  spare  me  now,  that  I  may  reach  Heaven  hereafter,  and 
give  me  a  penance  which  will  in  some  way  make  reparation  for  my 
evil  life."  St.  Bernard  said:  "My  son,  do  as  I  tell  you,  and  keep 
in  the  state  of  grace,  and  I  promise  you  that,  when  life  is  over,  you 
shall  enter  into  the  repose  of  God  in  Heaven." 

THE  CHOICE  OF  A  CONFESSOR 

Everyone  who  wishes  to  overcome  sin  and  advance  in  Christian 
perfection  should  seek  a  good  and  experienced  confessor.  This  choice 
is  by  far  more  important  than  that  of  a  family  physician.  Yet  great 
care  is  exercised  in  the  latter.  Not  every  confessor,  however  learned 
and  zealous  he  be,  will  appeal  to  every  penitent.  Pray  fervently  to 
the  Holy  Ghost  that  He  may  help  you  to  find  a  discreet,  saintly  and 
enlightened  confessor. — Charles  Bruchl. 

The  devil  keeps  an  account  of  your  sins  to  charge  you  with  them 
at  the  tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ.  Do  you  wish  to  prevent  this 
accusation?  Anticipate  your  accuser:  accuse  yourself  now  to  a 
confessor,  and  then  no  accuser  shall  appear  against  you  at  the 
judgment-seat  of  God.  But,  according  to  St.  Augustine,  if  you 
excuse  yourself  in  confession  you  shut  up  sin  within  your  soul,  and 
shut  out  pardon. — St.  Ambrose. 

THE   OBLIGATION    TO   CONFESS    SINS    DENIED   BY   PROTESTANTS 

In  non-Catholic  countries  the  practice  of  confessing  one's  sins  is 
either  not  followed  at  all,  or  else,  as  in  the  Anglican  establishment, 
it  is  left  to  such  pious  souls  as  might  feel  a  longing  to  unburden 
themselves  to  the  "minister  of  God."  And  the  reason  is  abundantly 
obvious.  Naturally,  no  one  really  likes  to  openly  own  up  to  his 
faults.  No  one  feels  any  special  delight  in  exposing  his  hidden  sins 
and  disgraceful  actions,  his  ingratitude  and  meannesses,  and  the  like. 
He  will,  assuredly,  evade  the  ordeal  if  he  can.  It  is  a  deep 
humiliation,  but  a  most  salutary  one,  since  pride  is  at  the  bottom  of 
all  spiritual  troubles.  Hence,  Protestants  vociferously  deny  that  there 
is  any  obligation  to  confess.  They  are  obliged  to  acknowledge  that 
Christ  gave  the  Apostles  and  their  successors  the  power  to  forgive 
sins,  for  that  is  explicitly  stated,  but  they  deny  that  any  obligation 


PENANCE  217 

exists  to  disclose  what  it  is  that  they  have  done  amiss.  They  do  not 
see  the  necessity  because  they  do  not  want  to  see.  It  would  be 
disa.e^recable  to  have  to  recognize  a  duty  which  is  so  difficult  of 
fulfilment.  So  they  make  up  their  minds  not  to  recojG:nize  it.  Yet 
it  is  quite  evidently  contained  in  the  very  words  of  institution. 

— Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

SELF    DISCIPLINE 

In  this  does  man's  dignity  consist  that  he  has  free  will.  God 
gave  him  the  choice  of  good  or  evil.  When  he  chooses  good  he  has 
the  merit  of  choosing  it;  when  he  chooses  evil  he  has  to  bear  the 
responsibility.  Nothing  that  happens  to  him  a^rainst  his  will  can  be 
chareed  to  him.     He  is  free  and  independent — the  master  of  himself. 

Therefore,  if  he  is  to  undergo  discipline  that  will  avail  unto 
salvation  it  must  be  self-discipline.  His  own  will  must  curb  and 
check  his  own  energies  and  direct  them  aright  if  he  is  to  be  forceful 
for  good.  This  truth  did  our  Lord  proclaim  when  He  said:  "If 
any  man  woidd  come  after  j\Ie  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his 
cross  daily  and  follow  Me." — P.  C.  Yorke. 

KNOWLEDGE  OF   SELF   WHOLESOME 

Nothing  is  more  important  for  our  self-improvement,  more  con- 
ducive to  a  change  of  life  than  a  knowledge  of  self  and  our  past 
failings.  Generally  we  are  little  aware  of  the  many  disorders  in  our 
daily  life;  we  do  not  reflect,  and  we  continue  in  our  frivolity  and 
wickedness.  If  one  would  place  a  mirror  before  our  soul,  and  let  us 
see  the  imperfections  and  shortcomings  of  even  one  day,  we  would 
be  terrified  at  the  sight  of  such  a  number  of  sms  and  their  gravity; 
we  would  walk  more  cautiously,  do  penance  and  lead  a  better  life. 
The  holy  Sacrament  of  Penance  forces  this  wholesome,  but  not  always 
relished,  knowledge  of  self  and  cur  sins  upon  us.  Since  it  requires 
a  detailed  accusation  of  our  faults,  it  makes  an  examination  of  our 
conscience  necessary.  Many  would  never  reflect  on  their  lives,  never 
probe  their  hearts,  never  be  brought  face  to  face  with  all  their 
imperfections,  were  it  not  for  the  examination  of  conscience,  exacted 
by  the  Sacrament  of  Penance.  Even  for  this  one  reason  Confession 
is  highly  salutary  and  helpful,  because  it  compels  us  to  know  ourselves, 
and  acquaints  us  with  the  many  sins  we  thoughtlessly  commit. 

— Charles  Bruehl. 

BISHOP  CHEVERUS  AXD  THE  PROTEST.INT 

The  confidence  inspired  by  Mgr.  Cheverus,  Bishop  of  Boston,  was 
such  that  a  great  number  of  Protestants  of  rank  and  position  came 
to  open  to  him  their  hearts,  and  to  reveal  to  him  the  secrets  of  their 
consciences.  One  of  them  one  day  said  that  the  precept  of  con- 
fession would  for  ever  present  her  from  embracing  the  Catholic  Faith. 
"No,  no,"  said  the  Bishop,  very  gently,  "you  haven't  as  much 
repugnance  for  confession  as  you  imagine:  on  the  contrary,  you 
feel  the  need  and  value  of  it.  All  these  weeks  past,  you  have  been 
coming  to  me  and  making  a  confession  without  suspecting  it.  Con- 
fession is  nothing  but  making  known  the  troubles  of  your  con- 
science, as  you  have  been  doing  to  receive  my  advice." — Hamon. 


218    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

DOCILITY  NECESSARY  IN  THE  CONFESSIONAL 

Equally  important  is  the  spirit  of  docility  necessary  in  the 
confessional.  The  penitent  who  thinks  he  is  always  misunderstood, 
the  one  who  does  not  see  the  necessity  of  avoiding  certain  occasions, 
the  one  who  has  an  over-wrought  mind  and  hardly  knows  it,  all 
need  a  clearer  vision,  a  vision  at  least  clear  enough  to  see  the 
advantage  of  expert  advice.  Whenever  there  is  a  tendency  therefore 
to  resent  the  pastoral  advice  given  in  Confession  or  even  a  tendency 
to  pass  it  over  as  a  formality,  then  the  penitent  may  profitably  place 
himself  in  the  position  of  the  blind  man  of  Jericho  and  approach  the 
Sacrament  with  the  prayer,  "Lord,  that  I  may  see."  If  the  mind 
had  been  darkened  by  sin  it  must  be  enlightened  by  the  free  gift  of 
grace. — Thomas  J .  Gcrrard. 

WHAT  SAVAGES  DID  TO  GO  TO  CONFESSION 

"When  Holy  Mass  was  done,"  writes  one  of  the  missionaries  in 
his  letter,  "Oskiloe,  one  of  the  chiefs,  followed  by  a  great  many 
people  belonging  to  his  tribe,  came  and  asked  to  speak  to  us.  Then, 
addressing  hin;self  to  Father  Marault,  he  said:  'O  my  Father,  you 
have  come  to  us  at  last !  how  glad  we  are  to  see  you !  and  for 
such  a  long  time  have  we  been  waiting  for  you !  It  is  now  five 
Sundays  since  we  came  here  expecting  to  find  you.  Our  provisions 
are  nearly  all  gone,  and  we  cannot  catch  any  fish  because  the  rivers 
are  in  flood.  What  will  become  of  us,  Father?  Nevertheless,  we 
would  rather  die  than  go  home  without  going  to  our  Confession  this 
year.  This,  then,  is  what  we  have  made  up  our  minds  to  do.  If 
the  fishing  still  continues  bad,  we  will  fast  ten  days,  that  we  may 
remain  with  you  and  hear  God's  Holy  Word.  No  doubt  this  will 
cause  us  to  suffer  much;  but  that  does  not  matter;  we  will  suffer 
it  all  with  joy,  that  we  may  attend  to  our  souls'  salvation.  And 
if  at  the  end  of  ten  days  the  Great  Spirit  does  not  send  us  any 
fish,  necessity  will  force  us  to  go  home;  but  it  will  cause  us  the 
greatest  sorrow  to  go  away. '  " 

THE   SORROW  FOR   SINS 

A  girl  was  once  listening  to  a  sermon,  and  heard  the  priest  say, 
that  if  people  want  to  make  a  good  Confession  they  must  be  more 
sorry  for  their  sins  than  for  anything  else.  When  the  sermon  was 
over  the  girl  went  to  the  priest  and  said,  "Please,  your  reverence, 
I  think  I  made  a  bad  confession,"  "Why  do  you  think  so?"  answered 
the  priest.  "You  said  in  your  sermon  to-day  that  if  we  want  to 
make  a  good  Confession  our  sorrow  for  sin  must  be  greater  than  our 
sorrow  for  anything  else.  When  I  went  to  Confession  I  did  not  cry 
for  my  sins.  But  when  my  poor  mother  died  I  cried  very  much.  So 
I  am  afraid  that  my  sorrow  for  my  mother's  death  was  greater  than 
my  sorrow  for  my  sins."  "Answer  me  one  question,"  said  the  priest. 
"Tell  me,  if  you  could  bring  your  mother  back  to  life  again  by  com- 
mitting a  mortal  sin,  would  you  commit  a  mortal  sin?"  "Oh,  no," 
said  the  girl,  "I  would  not  commit  a  mortal  sin  for  anything." 
"Then,"  said  the  priest,  "you  love  God  really  more  than  your  mother. 
Although  you  cried  for  your  mother's  death  and  did  not  cry  for  your 


PENANCE  219 

sins,  yet  you  were  really  in  your  heart  more  sorry  for  your  sins  than 
for  your  mother's  death." — Fiirniss. 

"I  WEEP  BECAUSE   YOU  DO  NOT  WEEP." 

One  clay  when  St.  Francis  de  Sales  was  hearing  Confessions,  a 
man  came  to  his  confessional,  and  accused  himself  of  many  grievous 
sins  without  showing  any  signs  of  sorrow.  The  Saint  began  to  weep, 
and  continued  shedding  tears  till  the  man  finished  his  Confession. 
When  it  was  done  he  asked  the  Saint  why  he  wept  so  much.  "My 
son,"  he  said,  "I  weep  because  you  do  not  weep.  You  have  by  your 
great  sins  crucified  the  Son  of  God,  and  you  seem  to  have  no  sorrow 
for  what  you  have  done."  These  few  words  touched  the  sinner's 
heart,  and  he  also  began  to  weep.  God  showed  him  at  that  moment 
the  greatness  of  his  sins,  and  he  became  a  sincere  penitent. 

CONTRITION   BLOTS  OUT  SINS 

There  lived  in  Paris  a  young  student  who  had  committed  many 
sins.  God  gave  him  the  grace  of  sincere  repentance.  He  went  to 
the  monastery  of  St.  Victor  in  that  city,  and  asked  to  be  conducted 
to  the  Father  Superior.  As  soon  as  he  had  entered  the  room  he  fell 
down  at  the  feet  of  the  priest,  and  began  to  make  his  Confession. 
But  he  had  scarcely  uttered  a  few  words  when  he  stopped.  His 
sorrow  was  so  great  that  he  could  not  utter  another  word.  "Perhaps, 
my  son,"  said  the  father  to  him,  "if  you  were  to  write  down  your 
sins  on  a  piece  of  paper,  you  would  be  better  able  to  confess  them." 
The  student  did  this,  and,  going  to  a  table,  wrote  down  the  sins  he  had 
committed,  and  then  returned  to  the  priest. 

As  soon  as  he  began  to  read  them  his  tears  again  choked  him, 
and  he  could  not  pronounce  a  word.  The  confessor  asked  him  to 
give  him  the  paper,  that  he  might  know  the  sins  he  had  committed. 
He  gave  it  to  him.  But  as  there  arose  in  the  priest's  mind  certain 
doubts  about  some  things  that  were  written  there,  he  asked  the  per- 
mission of  the  penitent  to  go  to  the  Father  Abbot  to  obtain  his  advice. 

This  permission  the  penitent  gave  very  willingly,  and  the  con- 
fessor went  to  the  Abbot  with  the  paper  in  his  hand. 

Having  unfolded  it,  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  there  was  no 
writing  on  it  at  all.  "This  is  most  strange,"  he  said.  "A  few 
moments  ago  I  read  his  whole  Confession  written  on  this  paper." 

They  both  examined  the  paper,  and  there  was  not  the  least  mark 
or  letter  on  it ;  it  was  pure  and  white.  Then  they  knew  that  God 
had  been  pleased  to  show  by  this  wonder  that  He  had  blotted  out  the 
sins  from  the  man's  soul,  as  He  had  blotted  them  from  the  paper 
they  held  in  their  hands. 

PERFECT    CONTRITION   AND   THE   INTENTION   TO    CONFESS 

Perfect  Contrition  has  power  to  efface  sin  only  if  the  intention  is 
included  to  confess  the  sin.  That  the  votum  confessionis  be  made 
expressly  and  explicitc  in  awakening  perfect  contrition,  is,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  St.  Alphonsus,  not  required,  and  perfect  contrition 
would  lose  its  power  of  effacing  mortal  sin  only  then,  if  the  sinner 
had  the  explicit  intention  not  to  confess  his  sin,  but  to  content  him- 
self with  an  act  of  perfect  contrition.     The  intention  to  confess  the 


220    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

sin  does  not  have  to  include  the  intention  to  go  to  confession  "as  soon 
as  possible."  According  to  Lehmkuhl  perfect  contrition  will  efface 
the  mortal  sins  even  of  a  Christian  who  confesses  only  once  a  year, 
in  compliance  with  the  ecclesiastical  precept,  even  though  he  may 
commit  those  sins  almost  a  year  before  confession,  but  is  resolved 
to  confess  these  sins  when  going  to  confession  next  Easter  time. 
Whether  an  early  confession  should  not  be  advised,  after  mortal 
sin  has  been  committed,  is  quite  another  matter. 

— The  Casuist,  Vol.  III. 

INSINCERE  SORROW 

There  was  a  certain  man  who  did  not  lead  a  good  life.  While  he 
was  in  good  health  he  daily  added  sin  to  sin,  and  banished  from  his 
minds  all  thought  of  death  and  judgment. 

But  when  he  became  ill,  and  saw  that  he  was  soon  to  die,  he 
entered  into  himself  and  made  a  confession  of  his  whole  life.  Then 
he  received  Holy  Viaticum  and  Extreme  Unction  with  every  outward 
mark  of  piety,  and  soon  breathed  his  last.  People  were  glad  when 
they  heard  of  how  he  had  repented  before  his  leath.  But  man  sees 
only  what  happens  outwardly ;  God  beholds  all  that  passes  in  man's 
heart.  A  few  days  after  his  death  he  appeared  to  a  holy  servant  of 
God,  and  said  to  him :  "Do  not  pray  for  me,  for  I  am  in  hell." 

"What!"  exclaimed  the  holy  man;  "did  you  not  confess  your  sins 
with  sorrow?  and  did  you  not  receive  the  last  Sacraments  with 
devotion?" 

"It  is  true,"  replied  the  lost  soul,  "I  did  confess  my  sins,  but 
1  did  not  hate  them  as  I  ought  to  have  done.  I  even  thought  that 
if  I  recovered  I  might  with  pleasure  do  them  again.  God  docs  net 
pardon  sins  unless  one  hates  them  above  all  other  evils.  I  did 
indeed  hate  and  detest  my  sins  with  my  lips,  but  not  in  my  heart,  and 
I  was  not  forgiven.     I  am  lost  for  ever." 

SORROW  MUST  INCLUDE  GOOD  RESOLUTION 

If  we  consider  the  nature  of  real  sorrow  for  sin,  it  will  not  be 
difficult  to  see  that  if  it  is  real,  it  must  include  the  fixed  resolution  to 
avoid  all  mortal  sin  for  the  future.  Moreover,  if  we  wish  to  obtain 
forgiveness  for  venial  sins  also  by  means  of  this  Sacrament,  we 
must  resolve  to  avoid  those  venial  sins  of  which  we  accuse  ourselves. 

— H.  G.  Hughes. 

He  who  strikes  his  breast  and  does  not  amend,  confirms,  but  does 
not  take  away  his  sins. — St.  Augustine. 

We  ought  every  day  to  renew  our  resolution,  and  excite  ourselves 
to  fervour,  as  if  it  were  the  first  day  of  our  conversion,  and  to  say: 
Help  me,  O  Lord  God,  in  my  good  resolution,  and  in  thy  holy  service, 
and  give  me  grace  how,  this  day,  perfectly  to  begin,  for  what  I  have 
hitherto  done  is  nothing. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Now,  if  he  that  makes  a  strong  resolution  often  fails,  what  will 
he  do  who  seldom  or  but  weakly  resolves? — Thomas  d.  Kempis. 

If  thy  right  eye  scandalise  thee,  pluck  it  out  and  cast  it  from 


PENANCE  221 

thee.     For  it  is  expedient  for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should 
perish,  rather  than  thy  whole  body  be  cast  into  hell. — Matt  V,  29. 

THB  MEANS  TO  KEEP  GOOD  BESOIX'TIONS 

The  God  who  inspires  us  with  good  resolutions  gives  us  also  the 
means  to  keep  them.  If  we  fail  the  fault  is  not  His  but  ours.  If 
we  are  in  earnest,  if  our  resolutions  are  not  mere  words,  we  will 
bend  ourselves  like  men  to  the  task  and  we  will  neglect  no  means  of 
help.  The  man  who  resolves  to  warm  himself  docs  not  keep  away 
from  the  fire,  the  man  who  resolves  to  grow  strong  does  not  refrain 
from  food  and  drink.  Let  us  therefore  surround  our  good  resolutions 
to-day  with  all  these  aids.  Plant  your  feet  firmly  upon  the  rock  of 
your  salvation  which  is  Christ.  Remember  that  He  has  promised 
to  give  whatsoever  we  ask  in  prayer  never  doubting.  Fear  not  the 
tribunal  of  His  mercy,  the  sacrament  of  forgiveness  and  consolation; 
but  above  all  seek  the  strength  of  His  Holy  Table,  the  Bread  of  Life 
and  the  Chalice  of  Benediction  for  he  that  cometh  thereto  shall 
never  hunger  and  he  that  drinketh  thereof  shall  never  thirst. 

—P.  C.  Yorke. 

What  can  be  thought  of  those  who  immediately  forget  their  good 
resolutions  when  they  meet  with  obstacles.  They  may  be  compared 
to  a  boy  who  is  sent  by  his  parents  on  an  errand  and  on  his  way 
meets  a  little  dog  that  barks  at  him,  and  instead  of  attending  to  his 
errand  runs  back  home.  You  can  kill  your  conscience  that  bothers 
you  the  same  as  you  can  kill  the  bee  that  stings  you,  but,  the  same 
as  the  bee,  the  killed  conscience  will  leave  a  sting. 

— Albertiis  Magnus. 

GOOD  RESOLUTIONS  NOT  CARRIED  OUT 

Some  people  are  full  of  the  best  resolutions,  but  never  carry  them 
cut.  They  resemble  the  soldiers  in  a  painting  of  a  battle,  who  are 
in  the  attitude  of  striking  the  enemy,  but  never  really  strike. 

SELF   REPREHENSION   IMUST   BE    CALBI,   NOT   PASSIONATE 

As  the  mild  and  affectionate  reproofs  of  a  father  have  far  greater 
power  to  reclaim  his  child  than  rage  and  passion;  so  when  we  have 
committed  any  fault,  if  we  reprehend  our  heart  with  mild  and  calm 
remonstrances,  having  more  compassion  for  it  than  passion  against 
it,  sweetly  encouraging  it  to  amendment,  the  repentance  it  shall  con- 
ceive by  this  means  will  sink  much  deeper,  and  penetrate  it  more 
effectually,  than  a  fretful,  injurious,  and  stormy  repentance. 

— St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

A  Sacrifice  to  God  is  on  afflicted  spirit:  a  contrite  and  humbled 
heart,  0  God,  Thou  wilt  not  despise. — Ps.  L,  19. 

COMBAT  THE   PREDOMINANT  PASSION 

We  should  apply  ourselves  principally  in  prayer  to  combat  the 
passion  or  evil  inclination  which  is  predominant  in  us;  we  should 
mortify  it  by  continual  vigilance,  because  when  it  is  once  destroyed 
we  will  easily  obtain  a  victory  over  all  the  others. 

— St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 


222    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

FAULTS  TO  BE  CORRECTED  ONE  BT  ONE 

A  monk,  told  by  a  young  man  that  he  had  tried  to  correct  all  his 
faults,  but  without  success,  replied:  "I  am  not  surprised;  take  that 
bundle  of  sticks  and  break  it  in  two."  After  one  or  two  useless 
efforts,  the  young  man  replied  it  was  impossible.  "Truly,"  said  the 
monk;  "but  untie  it,  separate  the  sticks  and  you'll  be  able  to  break 
them  separately."  So  with  your  faults;  attacked  all  at  one  time  you 
can  do  nothing  with  them;  take  them  one  by  one,  and  you'll  succeed. 

RISE   AGAIN 

A  hermit,  having  fallen  through  human  frailty  into  several  faults, 
went  to  Siloe,  one  of  the  great  Fathers  of  the  Desert,  to  ask  him  what 
he  should  do.  "My  son,"  he  answered,  "you  must  rise  again  from 
your  fall."  "But,  my  father,  I  have  already  done  so,  and  1  have 
fallen  again."  "Well,  just  rise  again  once  more."  "And  how  often 
must  I  thus  rise  again?"  "As  often  as  you  fall,"  replied  the  father. 
"Rise  again  always  as  long  as  you  live,  and  when  the  hour  of  your 
death  comes,  it  will  find  you  either  standing  or  lying  down,  and 
carry  you  in  that  position  before  the  sovereign  tribunal  of  God." 

THE  GAMBLER  AND  HIS  DOG 

A  gambler,  who  often  lost  in  a  moment  more  than  he  gained  in 
a  week,  usually  had  a  dog  with  him.  A  friend  met  him  one  day 
without  the  dog,  and  wondered  why  that  was.  "Ah !"  he  replied, 
"the  last  time  I  brought  him  to  the  house  I'm  going  to,  he  got  so 
many  kicks  and  blows  that  he  has  not  forgotten  them,  and  nothing 
will  induce  him  to  go  there  again."  "Then  your  dog  is  wiser  than 
his  master,"  said  the  other,  "who,  so  often  duped  there,  returns  again 
and  again  to  the  house  !"  A  true  image  of  the  sinner,  who,  so  often 
ruined  in  his  soul  in  some  occasion  of  sin,  foolishly  returns  to  that 
occasion. — Mehler. 

USE  SENSIBLE  MEANS  TO  CONQUER  A  BAD  HABIT 

St.  Bernard  once  begged  a  notorious  sinner  to  refrain  from  sin 
for  three  days,  and  to  live  for  that  time  at  peace  with  God.  The  man 
thought  that  he  surely  could  resist  temptation  for  so  short  a  period 
as  three  days;  he  exercised  great  self-control,  and  succeeded  in 
not  falling  into  his  accustomed  vice.  After  three  days,  St.  Bernard 
besought  him  to  live  three  more  days  without  sin,  for  love  of  our 
Lady;  and  he  was  again  successful.  The  Saint  then  urged  him,  as  he 
said,  for  the  last  time,  to  lead  a  good  life  for  three  days  in  honour 
of  all  Saints.  Before  they  were  over,  the  man  came  to  him,  and 
promised  that  he  would  make  his  peace  with  God,  not  for  a  few  days 
only,  but  for  the  rest  of  his  life.    The  bad  habit  was  conquered. 

—P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

RESTITUTION 

Restitution  is  not  a  penance  imposed  by  the  confessor,  but  a  strict 
obligation  of  justice,  from  which  no  confessor  may  dispense.  "No 
sin,"  says  St.  Antoninus,  "is  more  dangerous  than  the  sin  of  in- 
justice; to  be  forgiven  other  sins,  we  need  only  confess  them  with 
sincere  sorrow  and  firm  purpose  to  commit  them  no  more ;  but  there 
is  no  forgiveness  of  the  sin  of  injustice  without  restitution;  and  with- 


PENANCE  228 

out  it  prayer  and  acts  of  penance  are  of  no  avail  for  salvation."  Ill- 
gotten  goods  must,  therefore,  be  restored,  the  damage  done  to  our 
neighbour  must  be  repaired,  as  far  as  lies  in  our  power,  otherwise 
God  will  not  forgive  us,  for,  says  St.  Augustine,  "he  who  does  not 
make  the  necessary  restitution  when  he  is  able,  does  not  perform 
but  feigns  or  shams  penance,  because  the  sin  is  not  remitted,  unless 
the  object  taken  be  restored."  He  who  has  wronged  his  neighbour 
and  will  not,  when  he  is  able,  indemnify  him,  cannot  be  forgiven  by 
any  confessor,  nor  by  any  bishop,  nor  by  the  Pope,  nor  even  by  God 
Himself.  "God,"  says  the  learned  and  eloquent  Bourdaloue.  "has 
imparted  to  His  ministers  on  earth  an  almost  boundless  power.  They 
may  dispense  from  the  ecclesiastical  laws,  absolve  from  the  heaviest 
censures,  commute  vows,  free  from  oaths,  forgive  the  most  enormous 
sins,  and  open  Heaven  to  the  greatest  sinners.  But  they  are  power- 
less to  dispense  from  the  obligation  of  restitution;  nay,  even  God 
Himself  does  not  claim  this  power.  He  who  has  committed  an  in- 
justice and  will  not,  though  able,  make  restitution,  cannot  be  forgiven 
by  God  Himself  or  be  dispensed  from  this  obligation  by  anyone  but 
by  the  injured  party.  If  he  who  refuses  to  make  the  necessary  restitu- 
tion were  to  go  to  confession  and  receive  absolution,  the  absolution 
v/ould  be  worthless  and  his  confession  would  be  a  horrid  sacrilege." 

— Ferreol  Girardey,  C.  SS.  R. 

THB   SACRAMENT   OF   PENANCE   DOES  NOT   EXCUSE   FROM   PRACTICING 
VIRTUE 

As  a  Sacrament,  Penance  is  a  special,  supernatural  means  whereby 
sinners  are  enabled  to  perform  the  work  of  reparation  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  sin  within  them  by  graces  poured  into  their  souls  through  the 
superabundant  merits  of  that  precious  Blood,  one  drop  of  which 
would  have  sufficed  to  obliterate  the  sin  of  all  the  world.  The 
Sacrament,  therefore,  does  not  supersede  virtue.  The  sinner  must 
still,  as  the  very  nature  of  things  demands,  himself  "do  penance"; 
exercise,  that  is,  penitential  acts,  the  acts  that  are  proper  to  the 
virtue  of  penance.  But  the  Sacrament  makes  those  acts  easier ; 
conveys  supernatural  help  by  which  they  are  more  readily  produced, 
and,  aiding  our  weakness,  makes  them  efficacious  for  the  regaining  of 
spiritual  life. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

A  PROTESTANT  MINISTER'S  OPINION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL 

As  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  sinners  will  come  to  Him,  weary 
and  heavy  laden,  and  His  will  be  the  joy  of  filling  the  hungry  with 
good  things.  The  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  Good  Shepherd  should 
be  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  His  under-shepherds.  In  the  tribunal 
He  will  indeed  weep  with  them  that  weep,  but  he  will  be  a  sharer  of 
the  joy  of  the  angels.  The  Son  of  God  hath  power  on  earth  to 
forgive  sins,  this  is  the  legend  written  over  every  confessional. 

C.  M.  Hall,  in  The  Living  Church,  March  30,  1912. 

A  PROTESTANT  MINISTER'S  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  WISDOM  OF  THE  CHURCH 

In  the  wide  transepts  of  St.  Peter's  is  a  sight  which  cannot  but 
arrest  the  attention  of  everyone  who  is  sighing  for  Catholic  Unity, 
and  remind  him  of  those  days  when  every  nation  acknowledged  the 


224    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

same  faith,  and  with  one  voice  professed  the  same  creed.  There  are 
arranged  the  boxes  for  the  confessional,  in  every  language.  Not 
only  are  those  of  Europe  to  be  seen  inscribed  over  tlieir  places,  but 
also  its  various  dialects,  and  the  strange  tongues  of  the  East.  Thus, 
the  wanderer  from  every  land,  who  worships  in  these  rites,  beholds 
provision  made  for  his  spiritual  wants.  .  .  .  lie  can  unburden 
himself  to  a  priest  of  his  own  land,  and  the  consolations  of  his 
faith  are  doubly  sweet  when  conveyed  to  him  in  the  familiar  words 
of  his  own  tongue.  .  .  .  Catholic  traits  like  this,  none  but  the 
most  prejudiced  man  can  refuse  to  admire.  They  show  the  far- 
reaching  wisdom  of  hat  Church ;  and,  overlooking  the  distinctions 
of  climate  and  country,  and  recognizing  her  field  of  labour  to  extend 
wherever  there  is  a  degraded  being  to  listen  to  her  message,  she 
is  resolute  to  inherit  the  earth. — William  I.  Kip,  in  Christmas  Holy- 
days  in  Rome. 

INDULGENCES 

The  doctrine  of  Indulgences,  so  hard  for  an  outsider  to  grasp,  is 
intimately  connected  with  the  dogma  of  the  Communion  of  Saints. 
We  may  have  received  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  and  have  been 
forgiven  our  grievous  sins,  and  the  eternal  punishment  they  deserved ; 
but  still  there  may  remain  a  debt  of  temporal  punishment  which 
we  must  pay  here  or  hereafter.  The  Church  as  the  representative 
of  Christ  not  only  claims  the  power  of  pardoning  sin,  but  of 
remitting  part  of  all  of  the  punishment  it  deserves.  She  goes  to 
her  spiritual  treasury  of  the  merits  of  Christ  and  His  Saints,  and 
when,  cleansed  of  sin,  we  have  manifested  our  good-will  by  our 
fasting,  our  prayers,  or  our  alms-giving,  she  applies  to  us  individually, 
according  to  our  love,  the  merits  which  will  free  us  partially  or 
wholly  from  the  debt  of  temporal  punishment.  How  false  to  say 
that  an  indulgence  is  a  permission  to  commit  sin,  when  the  first 
condition  of  gaining  it  is  to  be  free  from  all  grievous  sin. 

— Bcrtrand  L.  Conway,  C.  S.  P. 

All  plenary  Indulgences  are  of  exactly  the  same  value,  but  not 
all  indulgences  are  plenary.  Some  are  "partial,"  and  we  speak  of 
a  "seven  years'  Indulgence,"  a  forty  days'  Indulgence,"  and  so  on. 
This  does  not  mean  that  seven  years  or  forty  days  are  deducted 
from  the  time  of  punishment  in  Purgatory,  but  that  the  same  amount 
of  the  temporal  punishment  is  remitted,  if  a  sinner  gains  that 
indulgence,  as  would  have  been  remitted  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Church,  if  he  had  done  public  penance  for  that  length  of  time. 

In  olden  times  a  public  penance  of  definite  length  was  imposed 
in  punishment  for  each  sin.  If  a  man  took  the  Name  of  God  in 
vain,  he  had  to  fast  on  bread  and  water  for  fifteen  days.  If  he 
had  sworn  ten  times,  he  had  to  fast  for  150  days.  If  any  one  now 
swears  ten  times  needlessly,  then  gets  an  Indulgence  of  150  days, 
the  whole  of  the  temporal  punishment,  which  would  have  been 
imposed  upon  him  in  the  early  Church,  is  remitted.  The  result  of 
gaining  several  partial  indulgences  may  be  the  same  as  that  of  a 
plenary  Indulgence,  for  in  both  ways  the  remission  of  all  the 
punishment   due   can   he   secured.      We   can   get   partial    Indulgences 


EXTREME   UNCTION  225 

many  times  each  day,  and  every  Christian  should  try  to  gain  as  many 
as  possible,  since  by  means  of  them  he  can  obtain  remission  of  all 
or  nearly  all  the  temporal  punishment  that  he  deserves. 

—F.  Hehcl  S.  J. 

EXTREME    UNCTION 

EXTREME  CN'CTION 

That  Extreme  Unction  possesses  the  true  nature  of  a  Sacrament 
will  be  clearly  established,  if  we  attend  to  the  words  in  which  the 
Apostle  St.  James  has  promulgated  the  law  of  this  Sacrament:  "Is 
any  man,"  says  he,  "sick  among  you?  Let  him  bring  in  the  priests 
of  the  Church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord ;  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick 
man,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up;  and  if  he  be  in  sins  they 
shall  be  forgiven  him"  (James  v,  14,  sq.).  For  when  the  Apostle 
affirms,  "if  he  be  in  sins  they  shall  be  forgiven  him,"  he  thereby 
declares  the  nature  and  efficacy  of  the  Sacrament.  And  that  such 
has  been  the  constant  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church  on  Extreme 
Unction,  several  Councils  testify;  and  the  Council  of  Trent  denounces 
anathema  against  all  who  presume  to  teach  or  think  otherwise. 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

And  they  cast  out  viany  devils,  and  anointed  with  Oil  many  that 
were  sick,  and  healed  them. — Mark  VI,  13. 

St.  Eleazar,  after  living  more  like  an  angel  than  a  man,  was  on 
his  deathbed  and  a  terrible  fear  of  death  overwhelmed  him.  His 
face  became  distorted  with  horror,  and  he  exclaimed :  "O  God,  how 
fearful  is  the  devil's  power !"  He  received  Extreme  Unction,  and 
at  once  recovered  his  previous  serenity,  and  comforted  the  bystanders, 
saying:  "By  God's  grace  I  have  conquered." — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

HOLY   ORDERS 

HOrT  ORDEKS 

Just  before  His  Ascension,  Christ  gave  the  preaching  power  to 
His  disciples.  Moreover,  He  associated  the  preaching  with  the 
sacrifice  and  the  remission  of  sins.  "Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it 
behooved  Christ  to  sufYer,  and  to  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third 
day:  And  that  penance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in 
His  Name,  unto  all  nations  beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

HOLY  ORDERS  AND  MATREMONY 

Holy  Orders  and  Matrimony  come  last  in  the  list  of  sacramental 
rites,  yet  it  is  they  that  carry  on  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  fecundity 
of  holy  wedlock  gives  to  tiie  Church  her  faithful  people;  that  of 
Holy  Orders  her  devoted  clergy. — William  Graham. 

When  they  had  ordained  to  them  Priests  in  every  Church,  and 
had  prayed  with  fasting,  they  commended  them  to  the  Lord. 

—Acts  XIV,  22. 


226    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE  OFFICES  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD 

The  priesthood  which  we  know  in  the  Catholic  Church  to-day  is 
derived  from,  and  is  a  participation  in,  the  priesthood  of  Christ.  To 
understand  therefore  the  nature  of  the  Catholic  priesthood  we  must 
ever  recur  to  its  exemplar,  the  priesthood  of  Christ.  From  that 
priesthood  we  learn  of  the  threefold  office:  to  offer  sacrifice,  to 
forgive  sins,  and  to  preach  the  revealed  Word  of  God.  The  sublime 
truth  which  is  realized  in  every  Catholic  priest  to-day  was  first 
spoken  of  Christ  Himself  in  the  great  ^Messianic  psalm:  "The  Lord 
hath  sworn  and  He  will  not  repent :  Thou  art  a  priest  forever  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  Melchisedech." 

The  first  office  in  the  priesthood  of  Christ  is  to  offer  sacrifice. 
Theologians  have  differed  as  to  what  precisely  constitutes  a  sacrifice. 
But  all  are  agreed  in  this — that  it  is  a  rite  by  which  men  hold  com- 
munion with  God ;  by  which  God's  supreme  dominion  over  men  is 
acknowledged ;  and  by  which  those  who  have  offended  God  are 
reconciled  to  Him.  Now  since  all  men  had  sinned  in  Adam  there 
was  imperative  need  of  such  a  rite  of  reconciliation.  Spiritual  writers 
have  speculated  as  to  what  might  have  happened  if  Adam  had  not 
sinned.  Would  there  still  have  been  place  and  necessity  for  sacrifice? 
Whatever  be  the  answer  to  this  question,  certain  it  is  that  after  the 
sin  there  was  even  greater  need  of  sacrifice.  We  have  "therefore 
a  great  High  Priest,  that  hath  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus,  the 
Son  of  God." — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

How  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  And  how  shall  they 
preach  unless  they  he  sent?  I  left  thee  in  Crete  that  thou  shouldst 
ordain  Priests  in  every  city  as  I  also  appoint  thee. — Tit.  I,  5. 

Going  therefore  teach  ye  all  nations:  baptizing  them  in  the  Name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holv  Ghost. 

—Matt.  XXVni,  19. 

The  lips  of  the  Priests  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they  shall  seek 
the  law  at  his  mouth:  because  he  is  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 

—Mai.  II,  7. 

This,  then,  was  the  second  great  office  of  His  priesthood,  to 
apply  the  fruits  of  His  sacrifice  to  our  individual  souls.  By  the 
great  sacrifice  the  purchase  value  of  our  souls  had  been  provided. 
There  everything  was  ready  for  the  satisfaction  of  eternal  justice. 
But  the  merit  had  to  be  applied  to  each  sinful  soul.  During  Our 
Lord's  life  on  earth.  He  exercised  this  power  on  many  occasions. 
He  healed  the  sick,  and  fed  the  hungry,  and  bestowed  temporal  gifts 
in  abundance ;  but  at  the  same  time  He  used  these  events  as 
opportunities  of  undoing  sin.  The  paralytic  came  with  his  malady. 
Our  Lord  cured  it;  but  at  the  same  time  He  said:  "Thy  sins  are 
forgiven  thee." — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

One  of  the  most  important  ceremonies  in  the  ordination  service  is 
that  which  signifies  this  power.  It  is  called  the  tradition  of  the 
instruments.     A  chalice   with   wine   and  water,  and   a   paten   with   a 


HOLY  ORDERS  227 

host  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  candidate  while  the  Bishop  says: 
"Receive  power  to  offer  sacrifice  to  God,  to  celebrate  Mass  both 
for  the  living  and  the  dead."  The  Anglican  chyrch  when  it  broke 
away  from  the  Catholic  Church  abolished  the  rite  of  handing  over 
the  chalice  and  paten.  And  so  when  the  question  of  the  Anglican 
priesthood  was  tried  in  Rome,  this  wilful  omission  was  declared  to 
be  a  sign  of  change  of  intentions.  By  doing  away  with  the  signs  of 
sacrifice  itself,  the  Anglican  church  declared  its  intention  of  doing 
away  with  the  priesthood. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

Obey  your  Prelates. — Heh.  XIII,  17. 

Let  the  Priests  that  rule  well  be  esteemed  zvorthy  of  double 
honour:  especially  they  who  labour  in  the  Word  and  doctrine. 

— I.   Tim.   V,    17. 

He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  Me:  and  he  that  despiseth  you, 
despiseth  Me.  And  he  that  despiseth  Me,  despiseth  Him  that  sent 
Me. — Luke  X,  16. 

He  that  is  of  God  heareth  the  words  of  God.  Therefore  you 
hear  them  not,  because  you  are  not  of  God. — John  VIII,  47. 

ST.  RIAKTIN  AND  THE  EMPEROR 

St.  Martin,  the  illustrious  Bishop  of  Tours,  being  on  a  visit  at 
the  court  of  the  Emperor  Maximus,  was  invited,  with  the  priest  who 
accompanied  him,  to  sit  down  to  dinner  at  the  emperor's  table. 
During  the  repast  a  cup  of  wine  was  poured  out  and  presented  to 
Maximus,  who,  wishing  to  do  honour  to  the  holy  bishop,  ordered  it 
to  be  first  handed  to  him,  expecting  that,  when  he  had  tasted,  he 
would  return  it  to  him  again.  To  his  surprise,  however,  and  that 
of  the  whole  court,  St.  Martin,  after  he  had  drunk,  passed  the  cup 
to  his  companion,  the  priest,  as  being  the  most  exalted  person  in 
the  assembly.  So  far  from  being  displeased,  Maximus  applauded  this 
action  of  the  Saint,  acknowledging  that,  in  the  sight  of  God,  who 
estimates  things  at  their  true  value,  the  imperial  is  far  inferior  to 
the  priestly  dignity. — Butler. 

THE  POWER  TO  FORGIVE  SINS 

It  was  only  fitting  then  that  Christ,  when  He  left  this  earth, 
should  invest  His  earthly  priesthood  with  the  same  power  of  for- 
giving sins.  Just  as  He  had  given  them  power  over  His  natural 
Body,  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  so  now  He  gives  them  power  over 
His  mystical  body,  the  Church.  Their  priesthood  is  the  representa- 
tion of  His  priesthood  in  Heaven.  If  a  brother  were  to  offend 
against  a  brother,  the  injured  one  must  try  kind  words.  If  this  did 
not  avail  he  must  seek  for  arbitration  before  two  or  three  witnesses. 
Failing  in  this,  he  must  have  recourse  to  the  Church.  The  Church 
is  the  continuation  of  Christ's  work  on  earth.  To  His  disciples  He 
said:  "Amen,  I  say  to  you,  whatsoever  you  shall  bind  on  earth  shall 
be  bound  also  in  Heaven ;  and  whatsoever  you  shall  loose  upon  earth 
it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  Heaven." — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 


228    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

A   PROTESTANT   ON   CELIBACY 

It  has  been  represented  as  unnatural  to  compel  men  and  women 
to  live  in  the  unmarried  state,  and  as  tending  to  produce  propensities 
to  which  it  is  hardly  proper  even  to  allude.  In  the  first  place,  the 
Catholic  Church  compels  nobody  to  make  such  a  vow.  It  only  says 
that  it  will  admit  no  one  to  be  a  priest,  monk,  friar  or  nun  who 
rejects  such  a  vow.  St.  Paul  strongly  recommends  to  all  Christian 
teachers  an  unmarried  life.  The  Church  has  founded  a  rule  on  this 
recommendation,  and  that,  too,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  recom- 
mendation was  given,  namely,  that  those  who  have  flocks  to  watch 
over,  or,  in  the  language  of  our  Protestant  Church,  who  have  the 
care  of  souls,  should  have  as  few  as  possible  of  other  cares,  and 
should  by  all  means  be  free  from  those  incessant  and  sometimes 
racking  cares  which  are  inseparable  from  a  wife  and  family. — Cobhett 
(Noii-Cath.)  in  History  of  the  Reformation. 

He  that  is  without  a  ivife  is  solicitous  for  the  things  that  belong 
to  the  Lord,  hotsj  he  may  please  God. — But  he  that  is  zuith  a  wife 
is  solicitous  for  the  things  of  the  world,  how  he  may  please  his  wife, 
and  he  is  divided. — I.  Cor.  VII,  32-33. 

THE  SUSTENANCE  DUE  TO  THE  PRIEST 

This  right  of  the  clergy  is  a  right  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word. 
The  sustenance  which  is  due  to  them  is  due  to  them  in  strict  justice. 
It  is  not  an  alms  given  out  of  charity.  In  this  day  of  keen  competition 
for  a  living  there  are  of  course  plenty  of  opportunities  where  the 
charity  of  the  faithful  may  come  to  the  help  of  the  clergy.  There 
are  many  cases  in  which  they  may  most  fittingly  receive  help  to 
which  they  have  no  right  in  strict  justice.  But  these  cases  must  be 
clearly  marked  off  from  that  honourable  sustenance  which  it  is  the 
strict  duty  of  the  laity  to  provide.  In  some  countries  this  right  and 
duty  is  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  the  funds  for  clergy  sustenance 
are  gathered  in  the  form  of  taxes  by  government.  In  England  and 
America,  however,  they  are  gathered  in  the  form  of  what  is  known 
as  "a  collection."  They  are  gathered  in  the  same  way  as  funds  for 
charitable  purposes.  The  amount  is  left  largely  to  the  judgment  of 
the  faithful  themselves.  Hence  the  feeling  has  grown  up  that  the 
honourable  sustenance  of  the  clergy  is  a  charity.  This  is  a  feeling 
which  must  be  dispelled.  The  obligations  of  justice  are  on  an  entirely 
different  footing  from  those  of  charity.  The  obligations  of  justice 
take  precedence  over  the  obligations  of  charity.  The  obligations  of 
justice  bind  under  grave  inconvenience  while  those  of  charity  do  not. 
The  duty,  therefore,  of  subscribing  toward  the  honourable  sustenance 
of  the  clergy  supposes  a  serious  effort  in  those  of  limited  means.  It 
supposes  an  effort  at  least  equal  to  that  which  is  made  to  satisfy 
claims  which  have  a  more  immediate  sanction ;  the  claims,  for  in- 
stance, of  the  landlord  and  the  tradesman. — Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

PRIESTS  HUMAN,  THAT  THEY  MAY  UNDERSTAND  HUM.IN  BEINGS 

The  priests  of  the  New  Law  are  men,  in  order  that  they  may 
condole  with  those  who  arc  in  ignorance  and  error,  because  they  too 
are   compassed   with   infirmity.     Had   angels  been  your  priests,   my 


HOLY   ORDERS  229 

brethren,  they  could  not  have  condoled  with  you,  sympathized  with 
you,  have  had  compassion  on  you,  felt  tenderly  for  you,  and  made 
allowances  for  you,  as  we  can;  they  could  not  have  been  your  pat- 
terns and  guides,  and  have  led  you  on  from  your  old  selves  into  a 
new  life,  as  they  can  who  come  from  the  midst  of  you,  who  have 
been  led  on  themselves  as  you  are  to  be  led,  who  know  well  your 
difficulties,  who  have  had  experience  at  least  of  your  temptations, 
who  know  the  strength  of  the  flesh  and  the  wiles  of  the  devil,  even 
though  they  have  baffled  them,  who  are  already  disposed  to  take  your 
part,  and  be  indulgent  towards  you,  and  can  advise  you  most  prac- 
tically, and  warn  you  most  seasonably  and  prudently.  Therefore  did 
He  send  you  men  to  be  the  ministers  of  reconciliation  and  interces- 
sion ;  as  He  Himself,  though  He  could  not  sin,  yet  even  He,  by  becom- 
ing man,  took  on  Him,  as  far  as  was  possible  to  God,  man's  burden 
of  infirmity  and  trial  in  His  own  Person. — Cardinal  Newman. 

THE    OFFICE   DISTINCT   FROM  THE   MAN 

The  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders  does  not  remove  human  frailty 
in  the  one  upon  whom  it  is  bestowed.  The  office  of  the  priest  is  a 
sacred  office  and  w^hatsoever  the  priest  does  in  his  official  capacity 
he  does  validly  as  the  minister  of  God.  The  judge  in  court  may  have 
his  own  private  shortcomings,  nevertheless  the  decisions  he  makes 
in  his  official  capacity  are  valid  and  legal.  We  hear  of  lawyers  who 
dishonestly  appropriate  funds  entrusted  to  them,  we  hear  of 
physicians  committing  criminal  actions,  but  what  sensible  person 
would  on  this  account  pronounce  all  lav/yers  cheats,  all  physicians 
disreputable?  The  priesthood  which  imposes  sterner  duties  than  any 
other  state  of  life,  consists  of  human  beings  who  individually  may 
err.  Does  not  Holy  Writ  say  that  even  the  just  man  falls  seven 
times  ? 

PBIEST8  NOT  FREE  FROM  SINS 

What  a  strange,  what  a  striking  anomaly  is  this !  All  is  perfect, 
all  is  heavenly,  all  is  glorious,  in  the  dispensation  which  Christ  has 
vouchsafed  us,  except  the  persons  of  His  ministers.  He  dwells  on 
our  altar  Himself,  the  Most  Holy,  the  Most  High,  in  light  inacces- 
sible, and  angels  fall  down  before  Him  there;  and  out  of  visible 
substances  and  forms  He  chooses  what  is  choicest  to  represent  and 
to  hold  Him.  The  finest  wheat-fiour,  and  the  purest  wine,  are  taken 
as  His  outw-ard  symbols;  the  most  sacred  and  majestic  words  minister 
to  the  sacrificial  rite;  altar  and  sanctuary  are  adorned  decently  or 
splendidly,  as  our  means  allow;  and  the  priests  perform  their  office 
in  befitting  vestments,  lifting  up  chaste  hearts  and  holy  hands;  yet 
those  very  priests,  so  set  apart,  so  consecrated,  they,  with  their 
girdle  of  celibacy  and  their  maniple  of  sorrow,  are  sons  of  Adam, 
sons  of  sinners,  of  a  fallen  nature,  which  they  have  not  put  off, 
though  it  be  renewed  through  grace,  so  that  it  is  almost  the  definition 
of  a  priest  that  he  has  sins  of  his  own  to  offer  for. — Cardinal  Newman. 

ERRING  MEMBERS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD 

Even  among  the  small  number  of  Apostles  there  was  one  who  went 
wrong.     God  allowed  Judas  to  be  one  of  the  Apostles,  no  doubt,  to 


230    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

warn  us  that  even  the  election  to  the  ministry  will  leave  it  to  the 
free  will  of  the  individual  whether  or  not  he  will  lead  a  righteous 
life,  and  that  there  will  be  weak  and  faithless  men  even  in  the 
priesthood. 

BORN  FOR  GREATER  THINGS 

St.  Stanislaus  Kostka  was  born  of  a  noble  family,  and  was  brought 
up  amidst  the  splendours  and  luxuries  of  his  position.  But  even  in 
his  infancy  he  despised  all  these  things,  and  when  he  grew  up  he 
took  the  resolution  of  renouncing  them  all,  to  embrace  the  holy 
poverty  of  the  religious  life.  When  his  friends  were  informed  of  his 
design  they  tried  to  draw  him  from  it.  They  often  spoke  to  him 
of  the  happiness  he  would  one  day  enjoy  in  the  possession  of  great 
wealth.  They  pointed  out  to  him  the  beauties  of  the  vast  domains  of 
his  ancestors,  and  the  magnificence  of  the  princely  palace  which 
would  one  day  be  his  home.  In  a  word,  they  placed  before  the  eyes 
of  his  body  as  well  as  of  his  mind  everything  they  thought  would 
fascinate  them.  Stanislaus  did  indeed  look  at  them,  but  he  also  looked 
higher  still.  "My  friends,"  he  said  to  them,  "these  things  are  very 
beautiful,  but  I  was  born  for  greater  things.  God,  my  Father  in 
Heaven,  made  me  to  possess  the  eternal  riches  of  Heaven,  and  to 
see  Himself  for  ever  there  in  His  kingdom;  therefore,  I  keep  my 
eyes  fixed  on  Heaven  that  I  may  not  allow  them  to  be  captivated  by 
earthly  things,  which  are  vile  and  worthless  when  compared  with 
those  of  Paradise." 

RESPECT  FOR  THE  PRIESTHOOD 

As  St.  Francis  was  one  day  conversing  with  some  of  his  brethren 
on  the  respect  due  to  priests,  he  said  these  words:  "If  I  should 
happen  to  meet  on  the  way  an  angel  and  a  priest  walking  together  I 
would  salute  the  priest  in  the  first  place,  and  then  the  angel."  And. 
seeing  that  some  of  them  desired  to  know  the  reason  of  this,  he 
added:  "I  would  salute  the  priest  in  the  first  place  because  he  is  the 
representative  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  whereas  the  angel,  great  as 
he  is,  is  only  His  servant." 

NON-CATHOLIC   PRAISE   OF  CATHOLIC   MISSIONARIES 

The  Catholic  Church  is  still  sending  forth  to  the  furthest  ends 
of  the  world  missionaries  as  zealous  as  those  who  landed  in  Kent 
with  Augustine;  and  still  confronting  hostile  kings  with  the  same 
spirit  with  which  she  coiifronted  Attila. — Macaulay. 

The  American  Israelite  in  a  recent  issue  pays  the  following  glow- 
ing tribute  to  our  missionaries:  "It  must  be  said  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  that  it  always  was  able  to  inspire  a  considerable  number  of 
its  priests  with  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  in  mission  service.  We  are 
reminded  of  this  by  the  report  of  the  death  of  the  Jesuit  priest, 
Isador  Dupuy,  who  succumbed  to  leprosy  in  Madagascar,  after  having 
served  as  missionary  in  that  country  for  seventeen  years.  He  is  the 
tenth  priest  stricken  with  that  terrible  malady  within  fifty  years. 
Surely,  there  can  be  no  stronger  proof  of  devotion  to  a  cause  than 
the  fact  that  the  devotee  is  willing  to  face  a  danger  or.  one  might 


HOLY   ORDERS  231 

say,  almost  the  certainty  of  death,  and  what  is  more,  of  a  slow  death, 
resulting  from  the  most  terrible  malady  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
afflictions  of  the  human  race." 

RELIGIOUS  ORDERS 

One  of  the  best  hopes  we  have  at  the  present  day  (and  hopeful 
prospects  are  few)  is  in  the  number,  and  excellence,  and  fervour,  of 
religious  communities.  Their  condition  has  fluctuated  at  various 
epochs;  but  in  these  days  they  recall  the  fervour  of  the  early  Chris- 
tians. While  the  world  is  sinking  deeper  into  wickedness,  while 
hostility  to  the  name  of  Christ  is  growing  more  diabolically  bitter 
day  by  day,  while  the  agents  of  Satan  have  succeeded  in  many 
quarters  in  checking  the  religious  life  and  look  forward  to  extin- 
guishing it,  ini  other  directions  we  see  an  extraordinary  outburst 
of  this  life.  Vocations  abound,  new  openings  are  continually  made, 
religious  are  in  demand  everywhere,  they  are  ever  extending  their 
work,  while  they  grow  in  fervoured  devotedness.  The  religious  state 
in  its  present  development  has  attained  a  wonderful  and  unexampled 
position  in  the  world  and  in  the  Church.  So  much  so,  that  if  all 
signs  of  Christian  life  perished  elsewhere,  the  Orders  of  religious 
would  alone  suffice  to  vindicate  the  power  of  Christianity  and  the 
note  of  sanctity  in  the  Church. — Bishop  Bellord. 

A   PROTESTANT   VIEW  OF  RELIGIOUS  ORDERS 

We  are  outliving  the  gross  prejudices  which  once  represented  the 
life  of  the  cloister  as  being  from  first  to  last  a  life  of  laziness  and 
imposture :  we  know  that,  but  for  the  monks,  the  light  of  liberty, 
and  literature  and  science  had  been  forever  extinguished ;  and  for 
six  centuries  there  existed  for  the  thoughtful,  the  gentle,  the  inquiring, 
the  devout  spirit,  no  peace,  no  security,  no  home  but  the  cloister. 
There,  learning  trimmed  her  lamp;  there,  contemplation  plumed  her 
wings ;  there,  the  traditions  of  art  were  preserved  from  age  to  age  by 
lonely,  studious  men,  who  kept  alive  in  form  and  colour  the  idea  of  a 
beauty  beyond  that  of  earth — of  a  might  beyond  that  of  the  spear  and 
the  shield — of  a  Divine  sympathy  with  suffering  humanity.  To  this 
we  may  add  another  and  a  stronger  claim  to  our  respect  and  moral 
sympathies.  The  protection  and  the  better  education  given  to  women 
in  these  early  communities;  the  venerable  and  distinguished  rank 
assigned  to  them,  when  as  governesses  of  their  Order,  they  became  in 
a  manner  dignitaries  of  the  Church;  the  introduction  of  their  beauti- 
ful and  saintly  effigies,  clothed  with  all  the  insignia  of  sanctity  and 
authority,  into  the  decoration  of  places  of  worship  and  books  of  de- 
votion, did  more,  perhaps,  for  the  general  cause  of  womanhood  than 
all  the  boasted  institutions  of  chivalry. 

— Mrs.  Jameson  (Non-Cath.),  in  Monastic  Orders. 

THE  WORK  or  RELIGIOUS  ORDERS 

Statistics  of  the  work  of  the  religious  Orders  in  Belgium  show  that 
they  instructed  in  their  schools,  free  of  charge,  642,000  children,  and 
took  care  of  44,856  patients ;  they  fed  and  took  care  of  18,280  poor 
and  incurables,  12,125  orphans,  8,222  insane,  and  in  doing  all  this  they 
saved  the  taxpayers  annually  77,840.000  francs.    What  can  the  Social- 


232    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

ists  bring  forward  to  compare  with  this  record?  To  mention  just 
one  instance  in  comparison,  it  is  stated  that  the  city  of  Marseilles, 
where  the  Sociahsts  have  been  instrumental  in  banishing  the  Catholic 
sisters,  shows  in  one  year  a  deficit  of  1,340,437  francs  in  the  hospital 
fund. 

France  is  paying  dearly  for  its  expulsion  of  the  religious  Orders.' 
Their  absence  has  made  it  necessary  to  employ  lay  nurses  in  hospitals. 
and  municipal  administrations  find  the  expense  an  almost  unbearable 
burden.  In  Avignon  and  Toulouse,  epidemics  of  typhoid  and  small- 
pox broke  out  recently,  and  the  lay  nurses  refused  to  take  such  con- 
tagious cases.  There  was  no  choice  but  to  send  for  sisters,  who  at 
once  went  to  work  among  the  patients  suffering  from  these  diseases. 
In  Cherbourg,  Annecy,  and  other  places,  the  town  council  has  invited 
sisters  to  again  take  charge  of  their  hospitals,  and  this  procedure 
bad  the  support  of  the  Freemasons  and  Socialists.  It  is  worthy  of 
note  that  the  two  chief  antagonists  of  religious  Orders,  Combes  and 
Clemenceau,  insisted,  when  they  took  sick,  on  being  attended  by 
sisters. 

Every  one  that  hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father, 
or  viother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  My  Name's  sake,  shall 
receive  an  hundredfold,  and  shall  possess  Life  Everlasting. 

—Matt.  XIX,  29. 


MATRIMONY 

UARRIAGE  A  SACRAMENT 

From  the  fact  that  Christ  raised  the  natural  contract  into  a  Sacra- 
ment, it  follows  that  the  parties  to  the  contract  are  the  ministers 
of  the  Sacrament.  It  is  the  man  and  woman  who  hand  themselves 
over  to  each  other,  making  a  mutual  contract  to  live  together  till 
death.  It  is  the  man  and  woman,  therefore,  who  confer  en  each 
other  the  Sacrament,  enabling  them  to  fulfil  the  higher  duties  which 
are  involved  in  the  Christian  married  state.  The  priest  is  not  the 
minister  of  the  Sacrament,  but  only  the  witness  to  it.  Our  late  Holy 
Father,  Pope  Leo  XIII,  emphasized  this  when  he  insisted  that  the 
contract  and  the  Sacrament  were  not  two  separate  things.  "The  dis- 
tinction, or  rather  separation,"  he  said,  "can  not  be  approved  of; 
since  it  is  clear  that  in  Christian  matrimony  the  contract  is  not  sepa- 
rable from  the  Sacrament,  and  consequently  that  a  true  and  lawful 
contract  can  not  exist  without  being  by  that  very  fact  a  Sacrament." 

— Thomas  J.   Gcrrard. 

A  good  zvife  is  a  good  portion,  she  shall  be  given  in  the  portion  of 
them  that  fear  God,  to  a  tnan  for  his  good  deeds. — Rich  or  poor,  if  his 
heart  is  good,  his  countenance  shall  be  cheerful  at  o7  times. 

— Ecclus.  XXVI,  3-4. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  creation,  God  made  them  male  and 
female. — For  this  cause  a  man  shall  leave  his  father  and  mother;  and 


MATRIMONY  233 

shall  cleave  to  his  wife. — And  they  tzvo  shall  be  in  one  flesh. — There- 
fore nozv  they  arc  not  tivo,  but  one  flesh. — ]Vhat  therefore  God  hath 
joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder. — Mark  X,  6-9. 

UARRIAGE   rsSTITUTED  ON   ACCOUNT   OF   THE   INSUmCIENCY   OF  MAN 

The  very  institution  of  marriage  has  its  reason  in  the  weakness 
and  insufficiency  of  man.  God,  although  supremely  happy  in  the 
company  of  His  own  Blessed  Trinity,  had  willed  to  exercise  His 
love  ouiside  Himself.  He  had  willed  to  produce  a  created  v/orld  in 
which  there  should  be  one  class  of  creatures  bearing-  His  own 
likeness.  After  separating  the  night  from  the  day,  and  the  land 
from  the  water,  after  making  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  the  fowls  of  the  air 
and  the  cattle  of  the  earth,  He  made  man  to  rule  the  earth.  He 
made  man  a  reasonable  being,  capable  of  giving  a  reasonable  service. 
But  even  with  all  the  delights  of  that  paradise  of  pleasure,  with  all 
his  unimpaired  intelligence  and  power  of  ordaining  things  fcr  God's 
glory,  man  by  himself  was  not  enough  for  God's  purpose.  There 
were  parts  in  God's  great  design  which  man  by  himself  could  not 
accomplish.  He  was  wanting  in  both  physical,  mental  and  moral 
complements.  So  God  said:  "It  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone: 
let  us  make  him  a  help  like  unto  himself."  So  God  cast  Adam  into 
a  deep  sleep,  took  a  rib  from  his  side  from  which  He  built  a  woman. 
And  when  God  brought  the  woman  to  the  man,  then  did  Adam  say: 
"This  now  is  bone  of  my  bones,  and  flesh  of  my  flesh  :  she  shall 
be  called  woman  because  she  was  taken  out  of  man.  Wherefore  a 
man  shall  leave  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife, 
and  they  shall  be  two  in  one  flesh."  Having  been  thus  made  for 
each  other  and  united  to  each  other,  they  then  received  the  message 
of  God  as  to  the  end  for  which  all  these  things  had  been  arranged. 
"Increase  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  earth  and  subdue  it." 

— Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

Wives,  be  subject  to  your  husbands,  as  it  behooveth  in  the  Lord. 
— Husbands,  love  your  zuives,  and  be  not  bitter  tozvards  them. 

—Col.  Ill,  18-19. 

To  them  that  are  married,  not  I,  but  the  Lord  commandeth,  that 
the  wife  depart  not  from  her  husband: — And  if  slie  depart,  that  she 
remain  xinmarricd,  or  be  reconciled  to  her  husband.  And  let  not 
the  husband  put  aicay  his  wife. — I.  Cor.  VII,  lo-ii. 

THE  BANNS 

The  purpose  of  the  banns  is  to  protect  the  honour  and  other 
interests  of  the  Church  and  of  the  faithful.  For  it  would  disgrace  the 
Church  if  one  of  her  pa>tors  would  assist  at  a  marriage  forbidden 
by  her  laws ;  and  it  would  be  a  sad  misfortune  for  the  two  spouses, 
if,  after  they  have  been  publicly  married,  it  were  then  discovered 
that  the  contract  was  invalid,  and  they  would  have  to  separate  from 
each  other.  Sometimes  ill-instructed  persons  are  ashamed  of  having 
their  banns  proclaimed.  They  should,  on  the  contrary,  be  proud  of  it, 
for  it  means  that  the  union  is  an  honourable  one,  to  which  no  objection 
is  known. — Charles  Coppens,  S.  J. 


234    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LWSTRUCTIONS 

niPEDnrENTs 

For  the  protection  of  her  children  and  of  her  Sacraments,  the 
Church  has  established  what  we  call  impediments.  These  are  of 
two  kinds :  the  first  kind  renders  the  marriage  null  and  void ;  the 
second  renders  the  marriage  unlawful.  Of  the  former,  which  are 
the  more  numerous,  some  are  absolute,  preventing  a  person  from 
contracting  marriage  with  anyone,  such  as  Holy  Orders  or  a  solemn 
vow ;  and  some  are  relative,  preventing  marriage  with  certain  persons, 
such  as  a  first  cousin.  The  Church's  right  to  supplement  the  ordinary 
laws  of  nature  with  prohibitive  and  invalidating  impediments  needs 
no  special  defense,  any  more  than  the  state  does  for  its  right  to 
safeguard  its  citizens  in  the  ordinary  contract  of  business  life. 
If  you  are  about  to  purchase  a  piece  ol  property  you  will  naturally 
consult  an  attorney  to  see  that  your  title  is  clear;  if  you  desire  to 
erect  a  building  contractors  and  architects  must  be  conferred  with, 
that  the  specifications  may  be  properly  drawn  up  and  honestly 
executed.  And  even  if,  unfortunately,  a  proper  spirit  of  obedience 
and  respect  for  the  authority  of  your  spiritual  mother  the  Church 
would  be  lacking,  personal  interest  for  yourselves  and  your  children 
must  lead  you  to  see  your  confessor  or  pastor  and  lay  your  circum- 
stances before  him,  honestly  and  fully.  This  is  the  surest  way  of 
discovering  if  one  or  the  other  of  these  hindrances  to  marriage  exists 
in  your  case.  It  is  likewise  the  most  certain  way  of  learning  how 
you  are  to  act  if  such  impediments  are  present.  She  who  has  power 
to  make  the  law  has  also  the  power  to  abrogate  it,  or  to  dispense 
with  it  in  particular  cases.  While  the  Church  maintains  these 
obstacles  as  wise  and  necessary  protections,  she  realizes  that  there 
may,  and  often  do,  exist  just  and  proper  reasons  for  exemption  from 
them.  She,  therefore,  delegates  to  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  the 
power  to  grant  the  required  dispensation,  if  he,  after  a  due  examina- 
tion of  the  case,  thinks  proper  to  do  so.  The  Church,  as  our 
mother,  tender  and  kind,  will  not  refuse  a  fair  demand,  but  she 
requires  and  expects  that  a  true  and  exact  statement  of  the  case 
be  made,  and  the  proper  reasons  for  the  demand  be  advanced.  This 
is  most  necessary,  for  a  dispensation  obtained  under  false  pretenses 
would  leave  the  marriage  grievously  sinful,  and  might  render  it  null 
and  void.  It  would  be  more  serious  and  more  foolish  than  for  a 
man  in  Chicago  who  wishes  to  go  to  New  York  to  ask  for  and 
take  the  train  to  San  Francisco. — /.  IV.  Sullivan. 

MARITAL   LOVE 

Tigranes,  King  of  Armenia,  and  his  wife  were  once  prisoners  at 
the  court  of  the  great  Persian  King,  Cyrus,  who  asked  him  what 
ransom  he  was  prepared  to  pay  for  his  wife.  "My  whole  kingdom," 
answered  Tigranes,  "if  it  were  still  mine;  but  as  it  is  not,  I  would 
gladly  give  my  life  to  save  her."  Deeply  moved  by  this  answer, 
Cyrus  set  them  both  at  liberty  and  restored  their  possessions.  Some 
time  after,  Tigranes  asked  his  wife  what  she  thought  of  the  Persian 
king's  greatness  and  magnificence,  and  whether  she  had  noticed  the 
splendour  of  his  court.  She  replied :  "From  the  moment  when  we 
were  taken  prisoners,  neither  my  eyes  nor  my  thoughts  were  fixed 
on  anything  save  on  the  man  who  was  ready  to  ransom  me  with  his 


MATRIMONY  235 

own  life  blood."    She  was  a  pagan,  yet  she  puts  many  Christian  wives 
to  shame. — P.  Hehcl,  S.  J. 

MIXED  MARRIAGES 

The  Church  has  her  eyes  wide  open  to  the  weakness  of  human 
nature  when  she  tolerates  a  mixed  marriage.  A  mixed  marriage  is 
a  real  Sacrament,  and  all  the  graces  of  the  Sacrament  are  capable 
of  being  conveyed  through  it,  though  these  graces  may  often  fail  in 
their  eiit'ects  through  the  want  of  disposition  in  the  non-Catholic 
party.  The  Catholic  party  may  do  his  or  her  best,  as  the  case  may 
be,  but  as  human  nature  is  so  weak,  there  is  naturally  an  everpresent 
danger  of  the  Catholic  losing  the  Faith.  Over  and  above  the  certainty 
of  spoiling  God's  ideal  there  is  the  disadvantage  of  risking  the  loss 
of  faith  altogether.  Therefore  it  is  that  the  Church  when  she  allows 
a  mixed  marriage,  insists  on  the  condition  thai  the  Catholic  partner 
shall  not  be  hindered  in  the  practice  of  the  Faith. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard 

The  foremost  reason  why  the  Church  deprecates  mixed  marriages 
is  because  they  spoil  God's  ideal.  Christ  came  on  earth  to  speak  the 
mind  of  the  Eternal  Father.  The  Church  exists  to  speak  the 
mind  of  Christ.  Any  suggestion  of  difference  of  thought  between 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  or  between  Christ  and  His  Church,  carries 
with  it  the  evident  mark  of  its  own  absurdity.  From  this  absurdity, 
however,  we  may  gather  something  of  the  imperfection  of  a  marriage 
union  in  which  the  parties  profess  different  faiths.  The  Catholic 
Faith  is  the  most  precious  treasure,  the  most  illustrious  adornment 
which  a  man  can  possess.  It  is  a  possession,  moreover,  which  is 
unique  of  its  kind.  It  can  not  combine  or  make  terms  with  any 
other  faith.  If  one  article  be  changed  only  in  the  slightest  degree  the 
whole  faith  is  rendered  vain.  A  marriage  union,  therefore,  in  which 
one  party  makes  profession  of  Catholicism  and  the  other  of  Protes- 
tantism can  not  be  but  an  ungraceful  thing  in  the  eye;  of  God. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

DIVORCED  PERSONS 

Commenting  upon  the  statement  made  by  Bishop  Kennedy,  rector 
of  the  American  College,  Rome,  that  he,  as  the  intermediary  between 
American  visitors  and  the  Pope,  would  never  arrange  -n  audience  for 
any  divorced  person,  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  remarked :  "The  Pope  is 
absolutely  consistent  in  refusing  to  receive  Americans  or  others  who 
are  immoral  persons  from  the  Church's  viewpoint.  This  consistency 
is  a  quality  which  non-Catholics  can  recognize  and  admire.  Most 
communicants  of  various  Protestant  bodies  are  not  too  well  satisfied 
with  the  tolerance  of  divorce  and  the  re-marriage  by  clergymen  of 
divorced  persons.  Many  such  communicants  are  already  doubting 
whether,  on  the  whole,  the  Roman  Catholic  viezv  is  not  the  correct 
one  on  this  subject." 

Whosoever  shall  put  away  liis  wife  and  marry  another,  committeth 
adultery  against  her. — Mark.  X,  ii. 

Wliilst  her  husband  Uveth  she  shall  be  called  an  adulteress  if  she 
be  with  another  man. — Rom.  VII,  3. 


236    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

COSIPANY  KEEPING 

That  was  the  naive  answer  given  by  the  little  Irish  girl.  Asked 
by  the  priest  what  was  the  way  of  preparing  for  the  Sacrament  of 
Matrimony,  she  replied:  ''A  little  courting,  your  reverence."  The 
truth  thereby  unconsciously  spoken  needs  to  be  well  spread  abroad 
in  these  days.  Courting  time  is  a  preparation  for  a  great  Sacrament. 
In  speaking  of  this,  even  as  of  all  other  phases  of  Christian  life, 
there  is  need  of  much  common  sense.  On  the  one  hand  the  young 
people  who  have  arrived  at  this  interesting  stage  may  be  expected 
to  tak^  it  seriously,  but  on  the  other  hand  they  must  not  be  expected 
to  deport  themselves  as  if  they  were  preparing  for  a  funeral. 
Company  keeping  is  one  of  the  happiest  times  of  life,  and  if  it  is 
not  attended  with  joy  and  brightness  there  is  something  wrong  some- 
where. At  the  outset  then  let  it  be  known  to  all  parents  that 
there  is  nothing  sinful  in  their  grown  up  children  looking  for  partners. 
Let  it  be  known  to  all  nuns  that  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  big 
children  of  Mary  speaking  to  the  young  men  of  the  congregation. 
Let  it  be  known  to  all  young  men  and  all  young  maidens  that  the 
affairs  of  courtship  is  not  something  to  be  ashamed  of.  Of  its 
nature  it  involves  a  certain  amount  of  modesty  and  shyness.  Still 
from  its  earliest  signs  and  movements  it  is  something  which  ought 
to  be  perfectly  above  board,  known  to  father  and  mother,  acknow- 
ledged in  the  presence  of  the  family.  It  is  a  preparation  for  a  great 
Sacrament,  and  its  verve  and  joy  and  delight  can  suffer  no  loss 
through  being  regulated  by  the  claims  of  religion. 

— Thomas  J.   Gcrrard. 

ADVICE  ON  CHRISTIAN  MARRIAGE 

At  the  marriage  of  Cana,  Jesus  and  Mary  were  personally  present, 
so  I  hope  that  at  your  nuptials  they  will  be  present  also,  though 
invisibly,  to  give  you  their  blessing.  I  feel  assured  that  the  modesty 
of  the  two  persons  principally  concerned,  no  less  than  that  of  the 
guests,  will  be  on  that  day  exemplary,  every  one  bearing  in  mind 
that  the  Son  of  God  chose  to  ennoble  the  conjugal  state  by  raising 
it  to  the  Divine  excellence  of  a  Sacrament;  calling  to  mind  also  that 
in  the  espousals  of  Christians  the  Church  recognizes  her  own 
espousals  with  Jesus.  At  table,  amid  the  common  mirth,  let  each  one 
from  time  to  time  reflect  that  He  who  in  the  beginning  instituted 
marriage  is  through  His  immensity  there  present,  and  that  all  must 
give  to  Him  a  strict  account  of  every  word  uttered  and  of  even  the 
most  minute  act  which  may  not  be  according  to  His  most  holy  law. 
In  this  way  only  will  the  day  of  your  marriage  be  one  of  real 
gladness,  for  it  is  only  when  you  are  pleasing  God  that  you  can  be 
truly  joyous.  In  sin  no  one  can  ever  find  peace  of  soul  or  true 
happiness. — Blessed  Sebastian. 

LARGE  FAMILIES 

A  large  family  is  a  means  of  developing  character,  both  in  the 
parents  and  in  the  children.  In  the  case  of  the  father,  it  is  a 
question  as  to  whether  he  will  face  the  task  of  working  and  saving 
for  the  means  of  bringing  up  a  large  family.  He  certainly  needs 
courage.  He  certainly  needs  self-denial  and  self-restraint.  A  large 
family  is  a  means  of  strengthening  both  the  temporal  and  the  eternal 


MATRIMONY  237 

interests  of  the  family.  Even  from  a  worldly  point  of  view  a  father 
is  working  against  his  own  interests  in  setting  limits  to  his  family 
from  motives  of  economical  selfishness.  His  view  must  be  a  broad 
one,  however.  The  law  of  nature  pervades  the  organization  of 
society  even  as  it  does  the  organization  of  the  physical  universe,  and 
none  the  less  does  it  there  reflect  the  mind  of  God.  It  is,  therefore, 
both  the  law  of  nature  and  the  law  of  God  that  children  should 
support  their  parents  in  sickness  and  old  age.  When,  however,  there 
is  only  one  child  or  two,  and  these  have  wives  and  families  of  their 
own  to  support,  there  is  little  opportunity  of  supporting  aged  parents. 
But  where  the  burden  is  divided,  among  say  seven  or  eight  families, 
then  the  aged  couple  have  some  hope  of  ending  their  days  in  reason- 
able and  frugal  comfort.  In  the  case  of  the  children  it  is  a 
question  of  generosity  or  selfishness.  Who  has  not  looked  with 
dismay  on  the  spoilt  child,  the  only  one  of  the  family?  Who  has 
not  observed  the  ugly  self-consciousness,  pride  and  vanity  of  twQ 
children,  the  miserable  two  who  have  had  no  other  companions  but 
each  other  during  the  years  when  the  foundation  of  their  character 
was  laid?  And  who  has  not  seen  the  beautiful  unselfishness  and 
generosity  of  the  children  of  a  family  of  seven,  or  better  still  of  a 
family  of  fourteen  ?  Why  even  their  faults  and  their  sins  are 
due  to  excess  of  generosity  rather  than  to  defect  in   it. 

— Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

Many  children  are  a  blessing  to  the  family.  They  provide  the 
opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  one  of  the  strongest  instincts  of 
nature,  family  affection,  the  love  of  parents  toward  children,  of 
children  toward  parents,  of  children  toward  each  other. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

Cive  not  to  son  or  mife,  brother  or  friend,  power  over  thee  zuhile 
thou  livest,  and  give  not  thy  estate  to  another:  lest  thou,  repent  and 
thou  entreat  for  the  same. — As  long  as  thou  livest,  and  hast  breath 
in  thee,  let  no  man  clmnge  thee. — For  it  is  better  that  thy  children 
should  ask  of  thee,  than  that  thou  look  toward  the  hands  of  thy 
children. — Ecclus.  XXXIII,  20-22. 

PABENTS  RESPONSIBLE   FOB   CHILDREN 

In  Lacedemon  a  parent,  as  being  the  cause  of  all  the  irregularities 
of  his  children,  was  justly  punished  for  their  crimes  with  greater 
severity  than  the  children  themselves. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

THE  LIMITS  OF  PARENTAL  AUTHORITY 

The  parents  are  only  supposed  to  be  carrying  out  the  work  of 
God.  If,  therefore,  any  of  their  commandments'  are  manifestly  con- 
trary to  the  law  of  God,  then  the  parents  have  gone  beyond  the  limits 
of  their  jurisdiction.  In  such  cases  it  is  not  only  lawful  but  of 
obligation  to  lay  aside  the  command  of  the  parent.  Such  a  course 
of  action  is  not  disobedience,  but  rather  obedience  to  a  higher  law. 
But  notice  that  this  is  only  allowable  when  the  thing  commanded 
is  manifestly  against  the  law  of  God.  If  there  is  any  doubt  the 
presumption  is  always  in  favor  of  the  parent;  for  a  wayward  child 


23S    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

might  easily  persuade  itself  that  it  was  following  out  God's  will, 
while  it  was  in  reality  only  following  out  its  own  perverse  will. 
Conscience  certainly  is  supreme,  but  there  is  need  to  guard  against 
a  false  conscience,  and  the  only  practical  rule  is  to  obey  the  parent 
in  case  of  doubt. — Thomas  J.   Gcrrard. 

THE  VOCATION  OF  CHILDREN  AND  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  PARENTS 

Among  the  several  kinds  of  cases  in  which  the  rights  of  God,  the 
rights  of  parents  and  the  rights  of  children  seem  to  clash,  there  are 
two  which  are  constantly  arising,  and  concerning  which  the  Church 
has  made  definite  arrangements.  The  question  concerns  the  choice 
of  a  state  of  life.  Is  the  child  bound  to  obey  its  parents  in  choosing 
whether  to  get  married  or  to  become  a  priest  or  a  religious? 

We  are  here  dealing  with  what  is  called  a  vocation.  Now  a 
vocation  is  a  call  from  God,  It  is  known  by  certain  signs  which 
are  recognized  by  the  Church  and  with  which  spiritual  directors 
are  well  acquainted.  If,  therefore,  those  signs  are  present,  if  the 
vocation  is  sufficiently  manifest,  then  clearly  the  child  is  perfectly 
justified  in  obeying  the  call  of  God  and  in  setting  aside  the  com- 
mand of  the  parent  who  interferes  with  the  call  of  God.  And  the 
principle  works  both  ways.  If  the  child  is  called  to  any  given  state 
of  life,  then  it  is  wrong  for  the  parent  to  interfere  with  that  call. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  child  is  not  called  to  a  given  state,  then 
it  is  wrong  for  the  parent  to  urge  the  child,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, to  enter  that  state.  Whether  the  case  be  one  of  entering 
upon  matrimony,  or  the  priesthood,  or  religion,  God's  call  goes  before 
the  wishes  of  a  parent. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

THE   GOOD  MOTHER 

Mrs.  Vianney,  the  mother  of  the  venerable  Cure  of  Ars,  always 
kept  before  her  mind  that  her  children  belonged  to  God  more  than 
to  herself,  and  that  they  were  all  His  children :  hence  she  taught 
them  from  their  very  infancy  how  to  love  and  serve  Him,  their 
Heavenly  Father.  Every  morning  she  herself  went  to  the  room 
where  they  slept  to  awaken  them,  that  she  might  see  that  they 
offered  their  hearts  to  God,  and  be  sure  that  the  first  thought  and 
the  first  action  of  the  day  were  to  Him.  "You  were  very  happy," 
said  one  of  his  friends  to  the  Blessed  Cure  of  Ars,  in  after-years, 
"to  have  had  so  early  a  love  of  prayer."  He  answered :  "After  God, 
it  was  the  work  of  my  dear  mother;  she  was  so  good.  Virtue  passes 
from  the  heart  of  a  mother  to  the  heart  of  her  children,  who  do 
willingly  what  they  see  her  do." 

THE  RESPONSISrLITY  OF  A  MOTHER 

And  if  great  be  the  responsibility  of  the  father  as  head  of  the 
family,  greater  still,  if  possible,  is  the  responsibility  of  the  mother 
as  his  coadjutor.  With  her  begins  the  life  of  the  child;  and  the 
first  grave  duty  that  devolves  upon  her  is  to  safeguard  the  life 
and  natural  perfection  of  her  offspring — a  duty  rendered  more  grave, 
because  upon  it  depends  also  the  spiritual  life  of  the  child.  The 
father  is  indeed  head  of  the  family,  but  the  mother's  care  and  love 
seem  to  be  more  far-reaching;  so  much  so,  that  God,  speaking  by 


MATRIMONY  239 

the  mouth  of  Isaias  of  His  eternal  love  for  His  Church,  referred 
to  it  under  the  image  of  a  mother's  love  for  her  children  (  Isa.  xlix, 
15).  Hence  the  Abbot  Rupert,  in  his  reflection  on  the  pathetic  case 
of  the  prodigal  son,  concludes  that,  had  that  wayward  young  man  had 
a  mother  living,  he  would  never  had  gone  away  from  his  father's 
house,  or,  at  least,  he  would  have  returned  with  greater  confidence  of 
being  pardoned.  What  can  be  more  beautiful  than  the  example  given 
by  the  holy  Monica,  mother  of  the  great  St.  Augustine? 

—J.  A.  M.   Gillis. 

EDl'CATION 

Education,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  is  the  formation  of 
habits.  The  form.ation  of  good  habits  is  good  education.  The  for- 
mation of  bad  habits  is  bad  education.  Education  is  not  merely 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  The  necessity  of  examination,  es- 
pecially competitive  examinations,  is  largely  responsible  for  the 
impression  which  identifies  erudition  and  education.  Mere  erudi- 
tion, however,  is  only  a  small  part  of  education.  It  pertains  to  the 
faculty  of  memory.  Now,  the  memory  must  be  trained,  but  not 
only  the  memory.  All  the  powers  of  the  child  must  be  brought 
out  to  the  highest  perfection  possible.  Its  intellect  must  be  trained 
to  perceive  the  truth.  Its  senses,  internal  and  external,  must  be 
trained  to  perceive  what  is  beautiful.  And,  above  all,  its  will  must 
be  trained  to  do  what  is  good.  Moreover,  since  the  soul,  while  in 
this  life,  depends  on  the  body  for  its  due  operation,  the  body  also 
must  be  so  trained  as  to  keep  in  a  healthy  condition.  "A  sound 
mind  in  a  sound  body"  is  an  axiom  as  old  as  the  hills.  A  training 
in  the  fundamental  laws  of  hygiene,  therefore,  is  ministrant  to  the 
training  of  the  child's  intellectual,  aesthetical,  and  moral  faculties. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

PROPER  TRAININO  OF  CHILDREN 

If  parents,  mothers  in  particular,  knew  how  to  train  their  children 
from  the  cradle  for  God;  if,  instead  of  fondling  their  infant  humours 
and  caressing  their  very  passions  and  caprices,  they  turned  the  first 
dawn  of  their  reason  to  the  knowledge  and  consideration  of  the 
Divine  goodness,  and  shaped  their  lips  to  utter  as  first  sounds  the  two 
sweetest  names  in  human  speech,  "Jesus  and  Mary,"  many  who  now 
have  to  weep  over  the  follies  and  vices  of  their  offspring  might  be 
thanking  God  instead,  for  having  blessed  their  family  with  a  Saint. 

— Cardinal  Wiseman. 

The  deeper  the  roots  of  virtue  strike  into  the  soil  of  the  family, 
and  the  more  alert  parents  are,  by  word  and  deed,  to  inform  the  souls 
of  the  young  with  the  precepts  of  religion,  the  more  plentiful  are  the 
fruits  resulting  to  the  good  of  society  in  general.  It  is  of  the  highest 
importance,  therefore,  not  merely  that  domestic  society  should  be 
constituted  holily,  but  as  well  that  it  should  be  governed  by  holy  rules; 
and  that  a  religious  spirit  and  a  Christian  life  should  be  diligently  and 
constantly  nourished  in  it.  Therefore  it  was  that  the  merciful  God, 
when  He  had  decreed  to  perfect  the  work  of  Redemption  which  the 
ages  had  so  long  awaited,  so  ordered  the  work  that  its  first  beginnings 


240    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

should  exhibit  an  august  model  of  a  family  Divinely  constituted,  in 
which  all  men  might  see  an  exemplar  of  every  virtue  and  holiness. 
Such  a  family  was  that  at  Nazareth,  in  which  the  Sun  of  Justice, 
ere  He  should  shine  with  full  radiance  on  all  the  nations,  was  first 
hidden ;  and  this  family  comprised  Christ,  the  Lord  God,  together 
with  His  Virgin  Mother,  and  her  most  holy  spouse  Joseph,  who 
was  to  be  the  foster-father  of  Jesus  .  .  .  And  so  all  fathers  may 
see  in  Joseph  a  splendid  norm  of  parental  watchfulness  and  care; 
mothers  may  perceive  in  the  most  holy  Mother  of  God  an  admirable 
illustration  of  love,  modesty,  obedience  and  perfect  faithfulness;  and 
children  have  in  Jesus,  who  "was  subject  to  them,"  a  Divine  model  of 
obedience  which  they  should  admire,  worship,  and  imitate. — Leo  XIII. 

The  children  of  sinners  become  children  of  abominations,  and  they 
that  converse  near  the  houses  of  the  ungodly. — The  inheritance  of 
the  children  of  sinners  shall  perish,  and  with  their  posterity  shall  be 
a  perpetual  reproach. — The  children  will  complain  of  an  ungodly 
father,  because  for  his  sake  they  are  in  reproach. — Ecclus.  XLI,  8,  lo. 

EARLY  IMPRESSIONS 

The  early  impressions  of  our  lives  have  much  to  do  in  moulding 
thought  in  future  years.  We  can  never  rid  ourselves  of  the  influences 
of  our  earliest  childhood.  We  love  to  go  back  to  the  old  home ;  to 
sleep  under  the  same  roof  where  we  heard  the  rain  patter  years  and 
years  ago;  we  love  to  pick  fruit  from  the  old  orchard;  we  love  to  sit 
on  the  same  rock  that  years  ago  was  familiar  to  us,  and  to  fish  in  the 
same  stream  where  we  fished  when  we  were  young.  All  this,  because 
somehow,  early  impressions  have  set  their  seal  upon  us,  and  we  cr.n- 
not,  if  we  would,  put  them  away.  By  a  law  of  our  own  being  these 
impressions  come  back,  and  even  in  old  age  the  cycle  returns  and 
there  is  the  second  childhood.  The  Norse  Viking,  who,  as  a  boy, 
tended  goats  on  his  native  hills,  grows  strong,  sails  the  seas,  and 
grows  rich.  He  builds  himself  at  last  a  palace  on  the  Bosphorus 
amid  flowers  and  southern  scenes,  but  when  old  age  comes  on  all  these 
fade  out  of  his  recollection,  and  the  only  sound  he  hears  is  the  bleat- 
ing of  the  kids  on  the  Norway  hillsides.  H,  then,  early  impressions 
linger  so  long,  how  important  that  early  influences  should  be  of  the 
right  sort ! 

EXAMPLE  THE  BEST  TEACHER 

There  was  once  a  father  whose  life  was  far  from  being  so  edifying 
as  it  ought  to  have  been.  He  had  a  large  family,  and  although  he 
himself  had  but  little  piety,  his  greatest  desire  was  to  see  his  children 
virtuous  and  good.  So  he  one  day  asked  a  friend,  whom  he  much 
esteemed  for  his  wisdom  and  experience,  what  he  would  consider  the 
best  means  of  attaining  this  object.  He  answered  him:  "I  know  only 
of  one;  and  that  is,  to  set  them  a  good  example.  Children  often 
forget  what  is  said  to  them,  but  for  the  most  part  they  willingly  do 
what  they  see  their  parents  doing." 

EDUCATION  WITHOUT  RELIGION 

A  system  of  education  in  which  religion  is  left  out,  is  like  a  build- 
ing without  foundations,  or  an  arch  without  a  keystone ;  it  has  no 


MATRIMONY  241 

unity  of  purpose,  and  its  various  elements  have  no  principle  of  cohe- 
sion. It  is  not  true  in  any  part,  because  it  is  made  up  of  a  number 
of  partial  truths,  which  are  practically  the  worst  kind  of  falsehoods. 
As  there  is  no  branch  of  knowledge  which  does  not  naturally  lead  to 
the  knowledge  of  God,  which  does  not  reflect  some  ray  of  the  Divine 
glory,  so  there  is  none  which  can  be  separated  from  its  Divine  origin 
without   becoming  dead   and   dark   and   meaningless. 

— A.  B.  Sharpe. 

The  movement  of  the  Roman  Catholics  to  secure  a  system  of  edu- 
cation which  shall  not  ignore  religion  is  a  movement  in  the  right 
direction. — The  Times  (New  York),  March  i,  1910. 

KNOWLEDGE 

Because  a  thing  is  good,  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  good  for  all 
men,  at  all  times,  or  in  unlimited  abundance.  Weapons  are  necessary, 
but  it  is  not  well  that  they  should  be  generally  in  the  hands  even  of 
men  who  are  sane  and  temperate.  Again,  all  men  are  not  adapted 
for  self-government  and  complete  liberty;  in  certain  stages  of  de- 
veloping civilization  these  grand  powers  would  bring  confusion  and 
destruction.  Knowledge,  also,  if  too  little  or  too  much,  if  not  guided 
by  moral  principle,  may  become  useless,  or  misleading,  or  even  a 
positive  curse. — Bishop  Bellord. 

KNOWLEDGE  LIKELY  TO  BE  MISUSED 

Intellectual  advancement  is  a  duty  that  we  owe  to  God  and  to 
society;  in  that  consists  a  considerable  part  of  the  work  imposed  on 
mankind;  it  is  one  of  the  highest  goods  in  our  powers;  but,  like  all 
other  things,  it  is  liable  to  misuse,  and  may  become  an  instrument  of 
immense  evil.  A  due  proportion  must  be  observed  between  all  the 
constituent  elements  of  human  nature,  and  therefore  moral  cultivation 
should  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  intellectual.  If  this  be  neglected, 
the  most  injurious  consequences  are  to  be  feared.  In  God,  who  is  the 
rule  of  human  perfection,  power  and  goodness  are  equal,  for  each 
is  infinite.  The  extreme  example  of  intellectual  power  without  recti- 
tude is  Satan,  the  opposite  of  God. — Bishop  Bellord. 

MOKAL  TRAINING 

The  most  direct  road  to  personal  advantage  is  generally  the  road 
of  dishonesty  and  violence;  and  there  is  nothing  to  keep  a  selfish  man 
from  following  it  but  that  moral  training  which  is  so  completely 
neglected  at  this  day.  Education  helps  a  man  to  secure  the  object  of 
his  desires,  whatever  it  be.  Moral  training  is  required  to  prevent 
himi  from  desiring  an  unworthy  object,  or  seeking  it  by  unlawful 
means. — Bishop  Bellord. 

RELIGIOUS  TRAINING 

Vice-President  Marshall  (Non-Cath,),  addressing  the  pupils  of  a 
Catholic  college  in  Indiana,  said:  "In  my  opinion  no  man  is  educated 
for  citizenship  until  trained  in  body  and  mind  and  heart  to  reverence 
the  omnipotent  God.  He  must  know  that  God  reigns  and  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  mankind.  In  our  day  there  are  too 
many  men  losing  their  moorings.     There  are  too  many  who  forget 


243    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

that  it  is  the  unseen  things — the  things  that  are  God's — that  weigh. 
In  your  educational  institutions  you  keep  these  truths  before  the  mind 
of  youth,  and,  holding  the  opinions  which  I  hold,  why  should  I  not 
feel  proud  to  participate  in  the  joys  of  this  dedication?" 

THE  FOUR  R'S 

Teach  your  children  the  three  R's,  and  leave  out  the  great  R  of 
religion,  and  you  will  only  produce  a  fourth  R,  rascaldom,  and  get  a 
nation  of  clever  devils. — The  Duke  of  Wellington  (Non-Catli.). 

THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AND  EDUCATION 

Father  Noll,  in  his  compilation,  "For  Our  Non-Catholic  Friends: 
The  Fairest  Argument,"  gives  a  list  of  the  great  universities  founded 
prior  to  the  Reformation,  and  observes  that  "the  number  of  students 
attending  the  different  universities  before  the  sixteenth  century 
greatly  exceeds  the  number  enrolled  in  any  of  our  big  schools  to-day. 
.  .  .  .  Even  now,  'illiterate'  Spain  has  more  students  pursuing 
a  university  course  than  England  has." 

Education  is  in  reality  not  only  not  repressed,  but  is  encouraged 
by  the  Catholic  Church,  and  is  a  mighty  instrument  in  its  hands,  and 
ably  used.  In  every  street  in  Rome,  for  instance,  there  are,  at  short 
distances,  public  primary  schools  for  the  education  of  the  children  of 
the  lower  and  middle  classes  in  the  neighbourhood.  Rome,  with  a 
population  of  158,678  souls,  has  372  public  primary  schools,  with  482 
teachers,  and  14,099  children  attending  them.  Has  Edinburgh  so 
many  public  schools  for  the  education  of  these  classes?  I  doubt  it. 
Berlin,  compared  with  Rome,  has  only  264  schools.  .  .  .  The 
statistical  fact,  that  Rome  has  above  a  hundred  schools  more  than 
Berlin,  for  a  population  little  more  than  half  that  of  Berlin,  puts  to 
flight  a  world  of  humbug  about  systems  of  national  education  carried 
on  by  governments,  and  their  effects  on  society. 

— Samuel  Laing  (Non-Cath.),  in  Notes  of  a  Traveler. 

A  PROTESTANT  MINISTER  ON  PAROCHIAL   SCHOOLS 

There  is  a  special  need  for  Church  schools  for  coloured  persons  in 
the  South,  schools  which  will  be  really  efficient.  .  .  .  The  wonder- 
ful success  of  Roman  Catholic  parochial  schools  and  academies  gives 
us  the  assurance  that  the  like  or  similar  schools  will  produce  good 
results  for  us.  These  would  meet  a  peculiar  need  of  the  Church 
among  coloured  people. 

— G.  G.  Walker,  in  The  Living  Church,  Sept.  13,  1913. 

A   PROTESTANT   MINISTER   ON    MONA.STERIES    AND    EDUCATION 

Canon  Farrar  asks  his  readers  to  "consider  what  the  Church  did 
for  education.  Her  ten  thousand  monasteries  kept  alive  and  trans- 
mitted that  torch  of  learning  which  otherwise  would  have  been 
extinguished  long  since.  A  religious  education,  incomparably  superior 
to  the  mere  athleticism  of  the  noble's  hall,  was  extended  to  the 
meanest  serf  who  wished  it.  This  fact  alone,  by  proclaiming  the 
dignity  of  the  individual,  elevated  the  entire  hopes  and  destiny 
of  the  race." 

— Hulscan   Lectures,   1870,   Christianity  and  Race. 


MATRIMONY  243 

OBEDIENCE   TO   PARENTS 

An  old  man  some  time  ago  told  the  following  story  about  himself: 
One  evening  in  the  summer-time  as  I  was  returning  home  after  a 
hard  day's  work  in  the  hayfield,  tired  and  hungry,  I  met  my  father 
en  the  road  to  town.  He  said  to  me :  "I  wish  you  would  take  this 
parcel  to  the  village  for  me,  James."  I  was  at  that  time  a  boy  of 
twelve  and,  like  other  boys  of  my  own  age,  I  was  more  fond  of  play 
than  of  work.  I  was  vexed  that  he  .should  ask  me  to  go  to  the 
village  after  my  day's  work,  for  it  was  about  two  miles  distant.  But 
I  loved  my  father,  and  I  showed  my  love  for  him  by  always  obeying 
him  at  once;  so  I  at  once  amiiably  said:  "Yes,  father,  I  will  go." 
"Thank  you,  James,  my  boy,"  he  said;  "I  was  going  myself,  but, 
somehow,  I  don't  feel  very  well  to-day.  You  have  always  been  a 
good  son  to  me,  James."  I  hurried  into  the  town,  and  was  soon  back 
again.  When  I  came  near  the  house,  I  saw  a  crowd  of  people  at  the 
door.  One  of  them  came  to  me,  the  tears  rolling  down  his  face. 
"Your  father,"  he  said,  "fell  dead  just  as  he  was  entering  the  house; 
the  last  words  he  spoke  were  to  you."  I  am  an  old  man  now,  but 
I  have  thanked  God  over  and  over  again  in  all  the  years  that  have 
passed  since  that  hour  that  these  last  words  were:  "You  have  always 
been  a  good  son  to  me,  James." 

My  son,  hear  the  instruction  of  thy  father,  and  forsake  not  the 
lazv  of  thy  mother: — That  grace  may  be  added  to  thy  head,  and  a 
chain  of  gold  to  thy  neck. — Prov.  I,  8-9. 

Thou  shalt  honour  thy  mother  all  the  days  of  her  life. — Tob.  IV,  3. 

Children,  hear  the  judgment  of  your  father,  and  so  do  that  you 
may  be  saved: — For  God  hath  made  the  father  honourable  to  the 
children:  and  seeking  the  judgment  of  the  mothers,  hath  confirmed 
it  upon  the  children. — Ecclus.  Ill,  2-3. 

Son,  support  the  old  age  of  thy  father,  and  grieve  him  not  in  his 
life: — And  if  his  understanding  fail,  have  patience  zvith  him,  and 
despise  him  not  when  thou  art  in  thy  strength:  for  the  relieving  of 
the  father  shall  not  be  forgotten. — For  good  shall  be  repaid  to  thee 
for  the  sin  of  thy  mother, — And  in  justice  thou  shall  be  built  up,  and 
in  the  day  of  affliction  thou  shalt  be  remembered  and  thy  sins  shall 
melt  azvay  as  the  ice  in  the  fair  "warm  weather. — Ecclus.  Ill,  14-17. 

My  son,  forget  not  My  law,  and  let  thy  heart  keep  My  command- 
ments.— For  they  shall  add  to  thee  length  of  days,  and  years  of  life 
and  peace. — Prov.  Ill,  1-2. 

BLESSED  THOMAS  MORE'S  RESPECT  FOR  HIS  FATHER 

Blessed  Thomas  More  (who  was  Chancellor  of  England,  and 
died  on  account  of  his  firmness  in  supporting  the  Catholic  religion) 
entertained  such  high  respect  for  his  parents  that  he  never  left  his 
house,  even  in  the  days  of  his  power  and  great  influence,  without 
having  first  demanded,  on  his  knees,  the  blessing  of  his  aged  father. 


244    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE   DEBT   CHILDREN   OWE   TO   PARENTS 

There  was  once  an  industrious  cabinet  maker,  who  seemed  to  be 
amassing  not  a  little  wealth.  One  day,  a  neighbour  asked  him  what 
he  did  with  all  his  money.  He  replied :  "With  part  I  pay  my  debts, 
while  I  put  the  rest  out  on  interest."  The  other  asked  him  to  explain 
what  he  meant.  He  answered  with  a  smile:  "I  mean  just  what  I 
say.  I  give  back  to  my  aged  parents  the  money  they  have  spent  on 
me — that  is  my  debt — and  what  I  now  spend  on  my  children,  I  look 
upon  as  capital  which  I  hope  to  get  repaid  with  interest  when  I  am 
old."  Are  not  the  words  of  this  man  but  too  true?  What  our 
parents  do  for  us  is  a  debt  which  we  are  bound  at  some  time  of  our 
lives  to  repay. — Frederick  Renter. 

A  SON'S  PRAYERS  CONVERTED  HIS  PARENTS 

I  know  of  a  young  boy,  who,  on  his  First  Communion  day,  felt  a 
tinge  of  sadness  because  his  parents  neglected  holy  Mass  on  Sundays. 
He  had  often  begged  them  to  go,  but  all  in  vain.  Now,  however,  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  pray  unceasingly  for  them.  On  two  mornings 
of  every  week  he  attended  Mass,  offering  it  for  his  parents'  con- 
version. Soon  his  mother  noticed  that  he  went  out  regularly  at  an 
early  hour.  Determined  to  learn  what  her  boy  was  doing,  she 
followed  him  one  day,  and,  entering  the  church,  saw  him  kneeling 
before  the  altar,  praying  with  the  greatest  fervour.  Patiently  she 
waited,  till  the  Ite  missa  est  of  the  priest,  which  she  had  not  heard 
for  years,  told  her  the  Mass  was  finished.  Tears  were  in  the  boy's 
eyes  as  he  left  the  church,  but  what  was  his  surprise  when  he 
found  his  mother  waiting  for  him  at  the  door.  When  she  asked  him 
what  was  the  cause  of  his  sorrow,  he  threw  his  arms  around  her 
and  said :  "Yesterday  it  was  for  father,  and  to-day,  mother,  it  was 
for  you."  The  results  of  the  boy's  fervent  prayer  and  self-sacrifice 
was  that  God  touched  these  two  hearts  with  His  grace,  so  that  the 
following  Sunday  father  and  mother  accompanied  their  devoted  son 
to  Mass. — Frederick  Reuter, 

THE  DUTY  WE  OWE  TO  PARENTS  AND  SUPERIORS 

In  these  days  there  is  a  strong  tendency  among  men  to  exaggerate 
their  rights,  and  to  undervalue  the  rights  of  their  superiors.  In  the 
family  and  in  the  state  and  in  religion  there  is  a  strong  force  of 
opposition  to  law.  It  is  well,  then,  for  children  to  realize  early  the 
dignity  of  duti fulness  to  parents,  spiritual  pastors  and  temporal 
masters.  From  a  merely  natural  point  of  view  such  duti  fulness  can 
only  lead  to  the  good  of  the  children.  But  from  a  supernatural  point 
of  view  the  thought  is  noble  in  the  highest  degree.  We  see  that  in 
serving  our  parents  and  those  in  authority  for  the  sake  of  God,  we 
are  serving  our  own  best  interests ;  for  we  are  thereby  doing  our 
best  to  place  ourselves  in  that  adjustment  of  the  universe  which  God 
has  ordained  as  the  most  perfect. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

BE  KIND  TO  YOUR  MOTHER 

Frederick,  King  of  Prussia,  one  day  rang  for  his  page,  and,  no  one 
answering,  he  opened  the  door  and  found  the  page  fast  asleep  in  his 
chair.     He  was  about  to  waken   him,  when   he  perceived   a   letter 


MATRIMONY  346 

hanging  out  of  his  pocket.  Suspecting  that  the  boy's  fatigue  might 
be  due  to  dissipation,  he  took  it  out  and  read  it.  It  was  a  letter  from 
the  young  man's  mother,  in  which  she  thanked  him  for  having  sent 
her  part  of  his  money  to  relieve  her  poverty,  and  telling  him  that  God 
would  reward  him  for  his  filial  affection.  The  king,  after  reading  it, 
took  out  a  purse  full  of  money,  and  slipped  it,  along  with  the  letter, 
into  the  page's  pocket.  Returning  to  his  chamber,  he  rang  the  bell 
so  loudly  that  it  awoke  the  page,  who  instantly  made  his  appearance. 
"You  have  had  a  sound  sleep,"  said  the  king.  The  page  w-as  at  a 
loss  how  to  excuse  himself,  and  putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket  by 
chance,  to  his  utter  astonishment  found  there  the  purse.  He  took  it 
out,  and  turned  pale  when  he  saw  what  it  was.  "What  is  that?"  said 
the  king;  "what  is  the  matter?"  "Ah,  sire,"  said  the  young  man, 
throwing  himself  on  his  knees,  "some  one  is  trying  to  ruin  me.  I  know 
nothing  of  this  money  that  I  have  just  found  in  my  pocket,  nor  do  I 
know  how  it  has  been  put  there."  "My  young  friend,"  said  Frederick, 
"God  often  does  great  things  for  us  even  in  our  sleep.  Send  that 
to  your  mother,  salute  her  on  my  part,  and  assure  her  that  I  will 
take  care  of  both  her  and  you." — Ave  Maria. 

POPE  BENEDICT  XI.  AND  HIS  MOTHER 

Pope  Benedict  XI.  was  the  son  of  an  humble  shepherd.  When 
he  was  raised  to  the  pontifical  throne,  hi'?  mother  came  to  visit  him, 
and  the  whole  city  went  out  to  meet  her,  in  honour  of  her  son,  the 
Pope.  The  good  woman  was  magnificently  dressed,  in  clothing  far 
above  her  humble  condition  in  life,  and  looked  more  like  a  princess 
than  the  wife  of  a  poor  shepherd.  When  she  was  introduced  into 
the  presence  of  the  Pope,  he  looked  at  her,  and,  without  showing  any 
sign  of  recognition,  said:  "That  lady  cannot  be  my  mother;  my 
mother  was  too  poor  to  purchase  such  a  magnificent  costume." 

The  poor  woman  was  obliged  to  go  out  without  even  speaking  to 
the  Pope.  She  laid  aside  her  rich  robes,  put  on  the  humble  dress 
belonging  to  her  lowly  station,  and  again  appeared  before  him.  No 
sooner  had  she  entered  than  the  Pope,  at  once  rising  from  his  throne, 
left  his  Cardinals  and  went  to  meet  her.  When  he  drew  near  to  her, 
he  threw  his  arms  around  her  and  wept,  as  he  said:  "Ah,  this  is  my 
mother  now !  There  is  no  one  in  the  world  who  could  love  his 
mother  as  much  as  I  do  mine." 


SACRAMENTALS 

THE  SACRAMENTALS.  WHAT  THEY  ARE 

All  sensible  rites  instituted  by  the  Church  to  produce  salutary 
effects,  as  also  all  objects  blessed  by  the  Church  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, may  be  classed  as  sacramentals.  They  differ  from  the  Sacra- 
ments, first,  in  that  they  are  instituted  by  the  Church,  while  the 
Sacraments  are  of  Divine  institution.  They  differ  from  the  Sacra- 
ments, in  the  second  place,  both  as  to  the  effect  which  they  produce 
and  as  to  the  way  in  which  they  produce  it.  The  Sacraments  confer 
sanctifying  grace  directly,  and  by  virtue  of  the  act  done;  that  is,  by 
a  virtue   inherent   in    them    from   the   institution   of   Christ   and   the 


246    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  uses  them  for  our  sanctification.  The 
sacramentals,  on  the  other  hand,  never  confer  sanctifying  grace 
directly  and  by  virtue  of  the  act  done,  but  only  indirectly  and  by 
virtue  of  the  prayer  and  blessing  of  the  Church  cooperating  with  the 
faith  and  piety  of  the  person  who  uses  them.  The  Sacraments  are 
channels  through  which  sanctifying  grace  flows,  as  it  were,  into  the 
soul ;  the  sacramentals  are  but  means  by  which  the  soul  is  aided 
and  disposed  to  receive  sanctifying  grace,  either  through  the  Sacra- 
ments, or  directly  from  God.  Thus,  what  are  called  the  ceremonies 
of  Baptism  dispose  the  person  to  be  baptized  to  receive  sanctifying 
grace  through  the  Sacrament,  and  the  sprinkling  oneself  with  holy 
water,  in  a  penitent  spirit,  disposes  one  to  receive  from  God  the 
forgiveness  of  venial  sins. 

But  while  the  sacramentals  never  directly  confer  sanctifying  grace, 
they  may  be,  and  ordinarily  are,  a  direct  means  of  actual  grace. 
Actual  grace  is  given  with  a  view  to  enable  those  who  are  in  sin 
to  be  freed  from  sin,  or,  again,  to  enable  those  who  are  in  grace 
"by  good  works  to  make"  their  "calling  and  election  sure."  It  is  thus 
given  to  sinner  and  to  Saint  alike,  whereas  no  sinner  as  such,  that 
is  to  say,  no  one  who  is  in  mortal  sin,  and  does  not  repent,  ever 
receives  or  ever  can  receive  sanctifying  grace.  It  is  by  actual  grace 
that  men  are  freed  from  the  power  of  the  devil,  and  certainly  the 
exorcisms  of  the  Church,  which  rank  as  sacramentals,  are  a  direct 
means  of  freeing  men  from  his  power.  It  is  an  actual  grace  to  be 
strengthened  against  temptation,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  made  in  the  spirit  of  faith  and  piety,  or  the  wearing  of  a 
scapular  or  other  object  blessed  by  the  Church,  gives  strength  against 
temptation  Once  more,  every  good  inspiration  is  an  actual  grace.  Who 
does  not  know  that  the  Crucifix  and  holy  images  are  the  sources  of 
good  inspirations  without  number?  True,  actual  grace  is  not  tied  to 
the  sacramentals.  But  they  are  a  fruitful  means  of  obtaining  actual 
graces,  and  are  such  not  merely  by  reason  of  the  piety  of  those  who 
use  them,  but  primarily  because  of  the  institution,  and  prayer,  and 
blessing  of  the  Church. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

The  sacramentals  are  not  channels  of  grace  in  the  same  sense  that 
the  Sacraments  are.  A  sacramental  is  an  external  sign  which  is  the 
occasion  of  God's  grace.  But  it  is  not  a  piece  of  magic.  Usually  the 
ceremony  is  from  its  very  nature  fitted  to  induce  the  proper  disposi- 
tions of  grace.  The  taking  of  holy  water  signifies  washing,  and  thus 
is  an  apt  ceremony  to  help  the  Christian  to  keep  a  clean  mind  and 
heart.  The  making  of  tlie  Sign  of  the  Cross  is  an  apt  ceremony  by 
reason  of  its  association  with  the  Cross  of  Christ.  Moreover,  the 
sacramentals  have  the  approval  and  blessing  of  the  Church.  They  are 
of  countless  variety.  Every  Catholic  is  not  supposed  to  avail  himself 
of  all  of  them.  He  chooses  what  suits  his  temperament  and  particular 
needs.  There  is  no  temperament  so  spiritualized  as  to  have  no  need 
of  sacramentals.  Every  good  Catholic,  therefore,  will  be  on  his 
guard  against  neglecting  them.  He  will  also  be  careful  not  to  speak 
deprccatingly  of  fellow-Catholics  who  use  sacramentals  which  he 
does  not  use.  Also,  he  will  hesitate  to  force  upon  others  unduly 
those  sacramentals  which  he  has  chosen  for  himself.    The  reason  of 


SACRAMENTALS  247 

them  all  is  to  promote  intercourse  with  the  spiritual  world.    In  so  far 
as  they  serve  this  end  they  must  be  used. — Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS 

"Such  is  the  power  of  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,"  says  Origen,  "that  if 
we  place  it  before  our  eyes,  neither  concupiscence,  nor  voluptuous- 
ness, nor  anger  can  resist  it;  at  it.s  appearance  the  whole  army  of 
the  flesh  and  of  sin  takes  to  flight,"  and  St.  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem, 
another  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  calls  it  "A  benefit  from  God, 
the  standard  of  tlie  faithful,  the  terror  of  demons."  Let  us  make  the 
Sign  of  the  Cross  bravely  and  courageously.  Again,  says  St.  Cyril: 
"When  the  demons  see  it  they  are  reminded  of  the  Crucified :  they 
fly:  they  hide  themselves  and  leave  us." 

One  day  some  of  the  religious  who  had  placed  themselves  under 
the  guidance  of  St.  Benedict,  and  who  had  fallen  away  from  their 
first  fervour,  resolved  among  themselves,  through  envy,  to  bring  about 
his  death  secretly  by  poison,  because  he  desired  to  make  them  return 
to  the  strict  observance  of  the  monastic  rule,  and  because  his  life 
was  a  constant  rebuke  to  their  sinful  negligence.  When  the  hour 
of  dinner  arrived,  they  placed  before  him  a  glass  of  wine  into  which 
they  had  infused  the  deadly  poison.  St.  Benedict,  according  to  his 
custom,  made  over  it  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  previous  to  his  partaking 
of  it.  At  the  same  moment  the  glass  in  his  hand  broke  into 
fragments.  It  was  in  this  way  God  made  known  to  him  the  evil 
designs  of  those  impious  men,  and  delivered  him  from  the  death 
to  which  their  envy  had  condemned  him. 

APOSTOLIC  ORIGIN  OF  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS 

Nicephorus  writes  that  St.  John  the  Evangelist  made  upon  him- 
self the  Sign  of  the  Cross  before  dying.  Hilduin,  says  St.  Paul,  used 
the  same  sign  to  restore  sight  to  a  blind  man.  Many  even  affirm 
that  Our  Lord  Himself  taught  this  sign  to  the  Apostles,  and  that 
He  used  it  to  bless  them  on  the  day  of  His  Ascension.  The  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  says  St.  Ignatius,  disciple  of  St.  John,  is  the  trophy 
raised  against  the  power  of  the  prince  of  this  world:  when  he  sees 
it,  he  is  afraid:  when  he  even  hears  of  it,  he  is  filled  with  terror. 

— Haiiterive. 

THE  PASSWORD 

General  Smith,  of  the  army  of  the  South,  was  coming  in  with  his 
men  too  late  to  know  the  password.  Knowing  that  if  he  went  for- 
ward he  would  receive  the  fire  of  his  own  side,  he  presented  himself 
before  his  men,  and  asked  if  any  one  would  sacrifice  his  life  to  save 
the  rest.  A  soldier  stood  out  of  the  ranks.  After  explaining  the 
certain  danger  he  would  have  to  face,  the  General  gave  him  a  piece 
of  paper,  on  which  were  written  these  words :  "Send  me  the  pass- 
word. Genl.  Smith."  He  knew  the  soldier  would  be  shot,  and  then 
searched,  and  thus  the  paper  would  be  found  and  read  and  the  sign 
made  known.  The  soldier  sets  out  and  reaches  the  outposts:  "Who 
goes  there?"  "A  friend."  "The  word  or  sign?"  But  the  soldier 
advances  without  reply,  and  at  once  the  rifles  are  all  raised  and 
pointed  at  him.     He  thereupon  makes  on  himself  the  Sign  of  the 


248    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  L\'STRUCTIONS 

Cross,  and  to  his  surprise  the  rifles  are  lowered.  The  act  of  the 
Catholic  soldier,  in  commending  himself  to  God,  was  the  very  sign 
the  Catholic  commander  had  that  very  morning  given  to  the  army. 

— Toulanont. 

CEREMONIES;  LITURGY 

CEREMONIES  REQUIRED  BY  HUMAN  NATURE 

The  fact  that  all  nations  offered  external  worship  by  ceremonial 
practices,  sacrificial  rites  and  religious  observances,  that  the  Jewish 
religion  in  this  respect  was  a  counterpart  of  the  efforts  of  the  neigh- 
bouring peoples  to  honour  God,  serves  to  illustrate  the  point,  even 
without  the  occurrence  of  similiar  phenomena  among  us  in  human 
affairs.  Take  our  national  holiday,  for  instance,  when  patriotism 
is  proclaimed  under  the  most  elaborate  forms.  Why  ?  Because  it  is 
natural.  When  membership  into  a  society  is  conferred  on  an  indi- 
vidual, why  is  solemnity  added  to  the  event  by  mystic  signs,  rites 
and  ceremonies?  These  latter  might  be  dispensed  with;  and  they 
would  be,  if  human  nature  were  different  from  what  it  is.  We  have 
our  inauguration  celebrations,  conducted  with  no  less  po-mp  and 
magnificence  that  the  most  elaborate  religious  services.  And  no 
people  ever  honoured  its  magistrates  without  giving  visible  testimony, 
by  something  more  than  words,  of  its  consideration  and  respect. 

— John  H.  Stapleton. 

MAN    LED    BY    THINGS    CORPOREAL    TO    THINGS    SPIRITUAL 

St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  teaches  this  truth  when  he  says,  "that  it  is 
of  the  nature  of  man  to  be  led  by  things  corporeal  and  sense- 
perceptible  to  things  spiritual  and  intelligible"  (III.  Q.  Ixi,  a.  i).  Ac- 
cording to  this,  Divine  Providence  provides  for  everything  in  ac- 
cordance with  nature,  and  it  follows  that  it  is  in  harmony  with  the 
fitness  of  things  that  God  should  provide  means  of  salvation  for 
men  in  the  form  of  corporeal  things,  or  by  means  of  external  signs. 
In  this  is  constituted  the  sacramental  system  o-f  the  New  Law. 

EXTERNALS  DRAWING  TOWARD  SIN  COUNTERACTED  BY  EXTERNALS  IN 

THE   OPPOSITE   DIRECTION 

The  senses  and  the  external  world  are  so  liable  to  draw  toward 
sin  that  they  must  be  counteracted  by  external  allurements  in  the 
opposite  direction.  Therefore,  God  ordains  a  number  of  external 
rites  and  ceremonies  all  calculated  to  give  to  man  a  stable  equilibrium 
in  the  way  of  grace.  God  ordains  fasting  not  because  He  wants  the 
offering  of  a  bit  of  bread,  but  because  He  wants  that  strong  act  of 
love  which  is  fostered  by  abstinence  from  bread.  The  external  acts 
exist  only  for  the  sake  of  the  internal  acts.  But  simply  because  man 
is  made  of  body  and  spirit  his  internal  spiritual  life  can  only  be 
maintained  by  a  corresponding  life  of  external  religion. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

THE  RIGHT  USK  OF  EXTERNALS 

We  can  not  deny  that  there  is  a  tendency  in  all  of  us  to  forget 
the  spiritual  significations  which  lie  behind  the  corporeal  manifesta- 
tions thereof.     This  tendency  arises   from  use  and   familiarity  and 


CEREMONIES:  LITURGY  249 

from  want  of  reflection.  It  is  no  reason  whatever,  however,  for 
attempting  to  cut  down  our  external  religious  practices.  Such  a 
course  of  action  would  only  cut  us  off  more  hopelessly  from  the 
spiritual  world.  But  it  is  a  reason  for  examination  of  conscience  as 
to  whether  we  are  making  a  right  use  of  all  the  external  means  for 
arriving  at  internal  graces.  It  is  a  reason  for  asking  ourselves 
whether  we  stop  short  at  the  letter,  the  letter  which  killeth,  or 
whether  we  go  on  through  the  letter  to  the  spirit,  the  spirit  which 
giveth  life. — Thonuxs  J.  Gcrrard. 

EXTERNAL  WORSHIP 

The  ceremonial  worship  of  the  Old  Dispensation  was,  of  course, 
abolished  when  Christ  inaugurated  the  new  reign  of  grace,  but  not 
all  ceremonies  and  rites  were  thereby  abolished.  The  principle  of 
religious  forms  was  not  affected.  In  itself  it  was  good,  since  God 
had  sanctioned  it;  and  could  become  evil  only  by  the  accident  of 
abuse.  Not  all  external  worship  was  condemned,  but  only  such  as 
was  vain  and  superstitious,  only  such  as  was  not  accompanied  by, 
and  was  not  the  expression  of,  and  was  made  the  substitute  for, 
"adoration  in  spirit,"  the  internal  worship  of  the  soul. 

— John  H.  Stapleton. 

PICTURES  A   MEANS   OF  INSTRUCTION 

These  windows,  with  the  statues  and  pictures  about  the  church, 
have  been  for  ages  a  school  of  art  and  religion  in  which  the  most 
unlettered  could  study  with  profit.  The  Church  is  the  greatest  teacher 
in  all  the  ages.  Methods  of  instruction,  which  are  to-day  being  "dis- 
covered," have  been  in  use  with  her  from  time  immemorial.  She 
has  used  the  object  lesson,  and  the  method  of  teaching  by  plays  and 
games,  by  song  and  story,  by  pilgrimage  and  pageantry.  But,  second 
only  after  preaching,  her  favourite  method  in  past  ages  seems  to  have 
been  to  instruct  men  in  the  truths  of  religion  by  means  of  painting 
and  sculpture.  Reading  takes  to-day  a  place  more  prominent  perhaps 
than  even  preaching;  but  in  an  age  when  few  could  read,  the  Church 
employed  the  most  efficacious  means  of  religious  instruction.  In 
doing  so  she,  rendered  a  service  not  only-  to  the  illiterate  members  of 
the  flock,  but  to  every  man  who  is  capable  of  artistic  feeling.  She 
has  patronized  art  with  a  lavish  hand,  and  she  has  offered  in  her 
churches,  for  the  poor  as  well  as  the  wealthy,  the  richest  art  treasures 
in  the  world.  The  churches  have  been  the  art  galleries  of  the  common 
people. — /.  Reilly. 

CEREMONIES  SATISFY  THE  NATURAL   INSTINCT 

There  is  a  natural  instinct  too,  anterior  to  all  reasoning,  which  is 
satisfied  only  by  the  acts  and  solemnities  of  religious  worship. 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 

SIGNS  AND  CEREMONIES 

Signs  and  ceremonies  appointed  by  men,  or  even  by  the  Church, 
for  devotional  purposes,  do  not  convey  grace,  nor  do  they  forgive 
sin,  since  they  are  not  of  Divine  institution.  The  Sacraments,  on 
the  contrary,  are  directly  instituted  by  God  Himself,  and  it  is  He 
that  gives  supernatural  efficiency  to  material  instruments.  It  is 
God,  not  man,  who  acts  in  the  Sacraments.     The  ministry  of  men. 


250    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

the  substances  used,  the  words  uttered,  and  so  forth,  are  but  the 
conditions  under  which  He  acts;  but  in  all  cases  the  chief  agent 
is  God,  who  remits  original  sin  in  Baptism,  absolves  in  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance,  consecrates  in  the  Mass,  and  so  on,  of  the  other  channels 
of  Divine  grace.  Hence,  as  compared  with  the  Sacraments,  all 
other  ceremonies  are  what  St.  Paul  calls  mere  "weak"  and 
needy  elements"  (Gal.  iv,  9). — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

Let  them  be  sprinkled  with  the  Water  of  Purification. 

—Numb.  Vni,  7. 

CEREMONIES  A  MEA>S  OF  EXPRESSION 

Ceremonies  in  the  Catholic  Church,  while  being  forms  of  beauty 
and  an  artistic  embellishment  of  worship,  are  intended  and  employed 
as  a  method  of  expression,  a  language.  They  speak  to  God  and  to 
the  believer,  not  alone  by  words,  as  does  the  orator;  nor  by  varied 
sounds,  as  does  the  musician;  nor  by  colours,  as  does  the  painter; 
nor  by  graceful  movements,  as  does  the  actor ;  but  by  all  these 
together,  and  many  others.  They,  therefore,  have  a  meaning;  they 
speak  the  language  which  is  plain,  clear,  natural,  whose  significance 
is  obvious  to  any  one  who  takes  the  pains  to  understand. 

— John  H.  Stapleton. 

Praise  Him  with  sound  of  trumpet:  praise  Him  with  psaltery 
and  harp. — Praise  Him  with  timbrel  and  choir:  praise  Him  with 
strings  and  organs. — Praise  Him  on  high  sounding  cymbals:  praise 
Him  on  cymbals  of  joy;  let  every  spirit  praise  the  Lord. — Ps.  CL,  3-5. 

To  Thee,  O  God,  I  mill  sing  a  new  canticle:  on  the  psaltery 
and  an  instrument  of  ten  strings  I  will  sing  praises  to  Thee. 

—Ps.  CXLHI,  9. 

CEREMONIES   ORDAINED   BY   GOD 

Christ  ordained  visible  signs  for  the  dispensation  of  His  grace 
in  the  Sacraments,  first,  that  we  might  know  for  certain  when  the 
invisible  grace  is  communicated,  and  that  we  may  prepare  ourselves 
for  the  reception  of  this  grace ;  secondly,  the  Church  is  the  visible 
representative  of  the  invisible  God,  therefore,  it  is  befitting  that  she 
dispense  the  invisible  grace  of  God  in  a  visible  way. 

They  shall  make  Me  a  Sanctuary,  and  I  zvill  dwell  in  the  midst 
of  them.— Ex.  XXV,  8. 

They  shall  pour  living  waters  .  .  .  into  a  vessel. — And  a 
man  that  is  clean  shall  dip  hyssop  in  them,  and  shall  sprinkle  there- 
with all  the  Tent  and  all  furniture,  and  the  men  that  are  defiled 
with  touching  any  such  thing. — Numb.  XIX,   17-18. 

THE  STORY  OF  NAAMAN  THE  SYRIAN 

Naaman  the  Syrian  went  to  Eliseus  to  be  cured  of  leprosy.  The 
prophet  of  God  declined  to  see  him,  but  sent  a  messenger  bidding 
him  go  and  wash  in  tlic  Jordan  seven  times  And  Naaman  was  angry 
and  went  away  saying:  "I  thought  he  would  have  come  out  to  me, 
and  standing  would  have  invoked  the  name  of  the  Lord  his  God, 


CEREMONIES;  LITURGY  261 

and  touched  with  his  hand  the  place  of  the  leprosy  and  healed 
me."  But,  being  better  advised,  he  at  length  went  down  to  the 
Jordan,  and  he  washed  seven  times  according  to  the  word  of  the 
man  of  God,  and  his  flesh  was  restored  as  the  flesh  of  a  little  child, 
and  he  was  made  clean. — Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

TWO  FALLACIES  CONCERNING   CEREMONIES 

The  true  worship  of  God  consists  in  steering  clear  of  two  pre- 
dominant fallacies,  fallacies  which  have  played  a  role  in  the  whole 
history  of  religion  and  which  have  never  been  more  rampant  than 
they  are  at  the  present  day.  The  one  is  that  which  would  do  away 
with  all  rite  and  ceremony  and  worship  God  in  what  it  is  pleased 
to  call  "the  religion  of  the  spirit."  It  is  more  theoretical  than 
it  is  practical,  professed  more  in  books  and  erudite  journals  than 
in  real  life.  The  other  is  more  practical  than  theoretical.  It  consists 
in  practicing  a  kind  of  religion  which  is  all  form  and  ceremony, 
with  little  or  no  inward  faith  and  spiritual  life. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

A  PROTESTANT  ON   THE  EXTERNALS   OF   CATHOLIC   WORSHIP 

One  method  by  which  Christianity  has  laboured  to  soften  the 
characters  of  men  has  been  through  the  imagination.  Our  imagina- 
tions affect  our  moral  character,  and,  in  the  case  of  the  poor 
especially,  the  cultivation  of  this  part  of  our  nature  is  of  inestimable 
importance.  Rooted  to  a  single  spot,  excluded  from  most  of  the 
interests  that  animate  the  minds  of  other  men,  condemned  to  constant 
and  plodding  labour,  their  whole  natures  would  have  been  hopelessly 
contracted,  were  there  no  sphere  in  which  their  imaginations  could 
expand.  Religion  is  the  one  romance  of  the  poor.  It  alone  extends 
the  narrow  horizon  of  their  thoughts,  supplies  the  images  of  their 
dreams,  allures  them  to  the  supersensual  and  ideal.  .  .  ,  It  is 
the  peculiarity  of  the  Christian  types  that,  while  they  have  fascinated 
the  imagination,  they  have  also  purified  the  heart.  .  .  .  "More 
than  any  spoken  eloquence,  more  than  any  dogmatic  teaching,  they 
(the  externals  of  Catholic  worship)  transform  and  subdue  his 
character." — Lecky. 

THE  CHURCH,  THE  HOUSE  OF  GOD 

It  is  in  vain  that  other  religions  try  to  copy  the  material  beauty 
of  the  Catholic  Church  and  her  external  forms,  or  even  the  devotions 
of  the  Catholic  faithful.  They  may  think  that  by  reproducing  the 
material  forms  of  Catholic  worship  they  will  infuse  life  into  their 
religions.  But  the^e  forms  are  rather  the  signs  of  life  than  sources 
of  life.  The  secret  of  that  life  which  is  so  impressive  in  the 
Catholic  churches,  the  source  of  it  is  the  Real  Presence  of  the  Son 
of  God  under  th.e  Sacramental  Species.  The  flickering  red  light  that 
burns  before  the  altar,  as  soon  as  it  is  seen,  changes  the  whole 
aspect  of  the  church  to  the  Catholic's  eye.  It  bears  upon  him  the 
solemn  conviction  that  this  is  really  and  truly  the  house  of  God 
and  the  gate  of  Heaven.  Strangers  cannot  understand  the  devotion 
of  the  average  Catholic  congregation ;  there  is  an  adequate  cause  for 
it — the  Real  Presence — Bisliop  Bellord. 


252    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

TH£   ALTAB 

In  the  early  Church  it  was  the  custom  to  celebrate  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  on  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs.  That  custom  now  survives 
in  the  Catholic  altar.  The  altar  stone  has  a  receptacle  in  which 
relics  of  martyrs  are  placed.    The  receptacle  is  called  the  sepulchre. 

— Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

The  Altar  shall  be  sanctified  by  My  Glory. — /  ivill  sanctify  also 
the  Tabernacle  of  the  Testimony  with  the  Altar,  and  Aaron  with 
his  sons,  to  do  the  office  of  Priesthood  unto  Me. — And  I  will  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel  and  zvill  be  their  God: — And 
they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  their  God,  Who  have  brought 
them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  that  I  might  abide  among  them,  I  the 
Lord  their  God. — Ex.  XXIX,  45-46. 

ADVENT 

It  is  impossible  to  say,  with  any  certainty,  when  this  season  of 
preparation  was  first  instituted.  All  the  evidence  seems  to  show 
that  it  originated  in  the  Western  Church,  but  there  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  any  uniform  practice  to  begin  with.  Now  we  may 
regard  Advent  in  two  ways:  (a)  as  a  time  of  preparation  by  penance 
for  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  (b)  as  a  series  of  ecclesiastical  offices 
drawn  up  to  prepare  the  people  for  the  feast  of  Christmas.  Both 
the  penance  and  the  liturgy  of  Advent  are  most  interesting  in  their 
history  and  it  will,  I  think,  help  us  to  appreciate  this  season  if  we 
briefly  recall  it. — Bernard  Hayes,  0.  S.  B. 

The  character  of  Advent  is  not  only  one  of  penance :  it  bids 
us  also  prepare  for  Christ,  and  we  must  try  to  appreciate  the  liturgy, 
for  in  it  are  contained  the  true  sentiments  which  those  should  possess 
who  are  looking  for  Christ's  coming.  The  Church  is  a  society  for 
the  true  worship  of  God.  and  therefore  she  has  a  public  and  official 
system  of  worship.  This  is  the  liturgy :  it  has  grown  gradually 
around  the  great  facts  of  redemption,  but  always  and  everywhere  the 
Church  has  watched  and  intervened  to  condemn  what  was  false, 
to  correct  what  was  inaccurate,  to  reject  what  was  inordinate,  so 
that  we  may  say  she  has  watched  over  her  liturgy  as  she  has 
watched  over  her  Faith,  knowing  how  intimately  these  are  connected. 
We  may  feel  great  security,  therefore,  that,  i  nacquiring  the  senti- 
ments of  the  liturgy,  we  have  the  sentiments  which  best  accord 
with  the  mystery  of  redemption  which  they  surround  and  express. 
What  sentiments,  then,  do  we  find  in  the  Advent  liturgy  as  a 
preparation  for  the  coming  of  Christ? 

The  liturgy,  my  dear  brethren,  is  full  of  reference  to  the  three- 
fold coming  of  Christ  of  which  I  have  already  spoken.  St.  Bernard 
describes  it  in  the  following  words:  "In  the  first  coming,  He 
comes  in  flesh  and  in  weakness ;  in  the  second.  He  comes  in  spirit 
and  in  power;  in  the  third,  He  comes  in  glory  and  in  majesty." 

— Bernard  Hayes,  O.  S.  B. 

EASTER 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  the  feast  of  Easter  is  the  oldest 
feast  of  the  Christian  Church — in  fact,  it  is  as  old  as  Christianity, 


CEREMONIES;  LITURGY  25S 

and  is  the  connecting  link  between  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments. 
The  Jewish  festival  of  the  Pasch  continued  to  be  kept  by  the  Christ- 
ians, but  with  a  new  signification.  The  Apostles,  wishing  to  break 
with  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  decreed  that  Sunday,  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  the  day  on  which  our  Lord  rose  from  the  tomb,  should 
be  the  holy  day — the  Lord's  day.  Now,  the  feast  of  the  Jewish 
Passover  was  kept  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  March  moon,  which 
fell  by  turns  on  each  day  of  the  week.  The  Apostles,  therefore, 
forbade  the  Christian  Pasch  to  be  celebratcc'  on  this  day  even  should 
it  be  a  Sunday  ,and  ordered  that  it  should  everywhere  be  kept  on 
the  Sunday  following.  Ecclesiastical  history  in  the  early  centuries 
resounds  with  disputes  about  the  uniform  celebration  of  the  Easter 
festival.  Thus  we  read  of  Pope  St.  Victor  (i88  A.  D.)  threatening 
the  Eastern  churches  with  excommunication  if  they  do  not  conform 
to  the  Roman  custom  in  this  matter;  the  Council  of  Nicaea  (325  A. 
D.)  decreed  that  all  must  conform  and  keep  the  feast  on  the 
Sunday  following  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  March  moon.  In 
England,  St.  Bede  tells  us,  that  the  British  Christians  and  the 
Roman  missionaries  were  kept  apart  in  great  measure  by  their 
differences  concerning  the  time  of  celebrating  Easter.  What  does 
all  this  show  us,  my  brethren,  except  that  the  annual  celebration 
of  our  Lord's  Resurrection  has  been,  by  the  Apostles  themselves  and 
by  the  Church,  considered  of  the  greatest  importance  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  faithful  ? — Bernard  Hayes,  O.  S.  B. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE    LOVE    OF    GOD   AND    OF   OUR    NEIGHBOUR; 
THE    VIRTUES 

GOD,  THE  SUPRESfE  GOOD 

A  man  ought  therefore  to  pass  and  ascend  above  everything 
created,  and  perfectly  to  forsake  himself,  and  in  ecstasy  of  mind  to 
stand  and  see  that  no  creatures  can  be  compared  with  Thee ;  because 
Thou  infinitely  transcendest  them  all.  And  unless  a  man  be  elevated 
in  spirit,  and  set  at  liberty  from  all  creatures,  and  wholly  united  to 
God,  whatever  he  knows  and  whatever  he  has  is  of  no  great 
weight.  Long  shall  he  be  little,  and  lie  grovelling  beneath,  who 
esteems  anything  great,  but  only  one  immense,  Eternal  God.  And 
whatsoever  is  not  God  is  nothing,  and  ought  to  be  accounted  as 
nothing. — Thomas  a  Kernpis. 

THE   LOVE   OF   GOD 

The  love  of  God  is  never  idle;  just  as  fire  is  inconceivable  except 
as  actively  burning  and  glowing,  so  is  His  love  inconceivable  without 
activity.  It  produces  much  good  in  those  on  whom  it  is  bestowed, 
but  its  most  excellent  result  is  the  grace  which  God  infuses  into 
our  souls. — St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

GOD,   THE  AUTHOR  OF  LOVE 

In  Me  the  love  of  thy  friend  must  stand ;  and  for  Me  he  is  to 
be  loved,  whoever  he  be  that  appears  to  thee  good,  and  is  very 
dear  to  thee  in  this  life.  Without  Me  no  friendship  is  of  any 
strength,  nor  will  it  be  durable ;  nor  is  that  love  true  and  pure  of 
which  I  am  not  the  Author. — Thomas  d  Kcmpis. 

THE  WOOD  OF  THE   CROSS 

There  is  no  wood  better  fitted  to  feed  the  fire  of  Divine  love  than 
the  Wood  of  the  Cross. — St.  Ignatius. 

GOD  DEMANDS  OUR  LOVE 

God  demands  our  heart;  that  is.  He  asks  our  love.  A  tyrant 
may  be  satisfied  with  the  mere  submission  and  outward  obedience  of 
his  subjects.  Thus  of  Caligula,  a  Roman  emperor,  the  saying  is 
recorded:  Oderint,  dum  metuant,  Little  do  I  care  if  my  subjects 
hate  me,  as  long  as  they  only  fear  me.  That  was  the  rule  of  the 
iron  rod,  hateful  and  precarious.  God's  rule  is  a  rule  of  love,  a 
sweet  yoke  and  an  easy  burden.  God  wishes  to  inspire  love,  not 
fear.  He  looks  for  cheerful  servants,  for  enthusiastic  followers,  not 
trembling  slaves.  Therefore,  the  first  tribute  He  requires  is  that 
of  love.  There  is  an  external  service  of  God,  in  word  and  gesture, 
pleasing  to  Him,  it  is  true,  but  yet  only  an  outward  figure  and  a 

254 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR    255 

shadow.  Then  there  is  an  internal  service  of  God,  consisting  in 
faith,  hope  and  charity,  in  devotion  and  loyalty.  This  is  the  adoration 
in  spirit  and  in  truth,  the  soul  of  religion,  the  quickening  pulse  of 
all  outward  practices.  The  external  service  alone  can  never  satisfy 
God ;  the  internal  allegiance  will  necessarily  blossom  out  in  religious 
exercises.  So  God  demands  our  love,  the  surrender  of  our  heart, 
and  at  once  He  possesses  the  whole  man. — Charles  Bruehl. 

OUR    S.WIOUR'S    LOVE 

When  our  Saviour  dwelt  in  person  upon  earth  no  human  need 
was  left  unanswered.  A  woman  came  and  touched  the  hem  of  His 
garment  that  she  might  be  cured  of  her  ailment,  and  her  prayer  v/as 
answered;  a  ruler  met  Him  in  the  way  and  begged  that  his  dying 
child  might  live,  and  Jesus  infused  new  strength ;  a  mother  and 
again  a  sister  were  in  grief  over  the  loss  of  a  loved  one,  and  by 
His  almighty  power,  Jesus  restored  life ;  a  penitent  at  His  feet 
asked  for  pardon,  and  the  merciful  forgiveness  of  God  was  granted; 
St.  John,  that  soul  of  love,  seeking  more  love,  besought  the  sweet 
privilege  of  resting  his  head  upon  the  Master's  Breast,  and  the 
privilege  was  granted  him.  They  were  all  in  need ;  they  all  strove 
humbly  and  lovingly  to  have  those  needs  met  and  answered ;  and 
they  did  not  place  their  trust  in  vain.  If  we  come  as  they  came, 
with  true  humility,  with  heartfelt  love  and  place  our  needs  before 
God,  do  you  think  He  will  be  less  good,  less  loving  toward  us  ? 

— Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

WHY  WE  MUST  LOVE  THE  HOLY  GHOST 

We  must  love  Him  because  He  is  God,  the  equal  of  the  Ever- 
lasting Father  and  His  Only  Begotten  Son,  the  Term  or  Perfecter 
of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  the  substantial,  primal,  love  proceeding  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  We  must  love  Him  because  from  Him,  the 
Creator-Spirit,  are  all  things,  the  world,  man,  society,  Mary,  Christ, 
the  Scriptures,  the  Church ;  because  by  Him  every  soul  is  cleansed 
of  sin  and  sanctified,  and  through  Him  "all  are  made  children  of 
God,  inheritors  of  God's  kingdom  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ." 
Devotion  to  Him,  together  w'ith  the  devotion  to  Christ  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  should  be  the  chief  devotion  of  Catholics ;  all 
minor  loves  should  pale  before  these  as  the  stars  of  the  night  pale 
before  the  coming  of  dawn. — Bertrand  L.  Conway,  C.  S.  P. 

LOVE  AND  AMBITION 

Ambition  is  a  caricature  of  love.  Love  is  patient  for  the  sake 
of  the  eternal,  ambition  is  patient  for  the  sake  of  the  temporal. 
Love  caters  to  the  poor,  ambition  to  the  wealthy.  Love  bears  every- 
thing for  the  truth,  ambition  for  vanity.  Both  exercise  faith  and 
hope,   but  for  different  purposes. — St.  Peter  Chrysologus. 

THE   PEACE    OF   GOD 

It  is  this  charity  and  meekness  and  heavenly  consolation,  begotten 
of  the  peace  of  God,  which  are  the  comfort  of  the  Saints,  and  which 
support  them  in  their  bitter  trials.  St.  Paul,  speaking  of  himself, 
says:  'T  am  filled  with  comfort.     I  exceeding  abound  with  joy  in 


256    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

all  our  tribulations"  (II.  Cor.  vii,  4).  St.  Peter  lies  in  prison  bound 
with  chains  and  doomed  to  be  handed  over  to  the  fury  of  a  mob 
who  clamour  for  his  death ;  but  he  sleeps  so  soundly  and  so  peace- 
fully that  he  did  not  wake  from  his  happy  slumber  until  an  angel 
striking  him  in  the  side  raised  him  up  (Acts  xii,  7).  St.  Jerome, 
when  death  came  gently  in  the  wallet  of  time  to  call  him  away 
from  his  labours,  addressed  it  as  his  dearest  brother,  and  spoke  to 
those  who  stood  by  his  dying  bed  in  the  beautiful  words  of  one 
who  sees  in  death  only  the  peaceful  opening  of  the  portals  of  eternity, 
"My  friends,  do  you  bring  me  the  news  that  I  must  die  ?  May 
God  reward  you  for  the  happy  tidings !  Participate  in  my  joys,  be 
witnesses  of  my  happiness.  Behold  the  precious  moment  that  will 
make  me  free  forever.  O  blessed  hour  of  death,  sweet,  peaceful  sleep, 
come  and  close  my  eyes !"  Truly  do  the  Saints  experience  that 
security  which  is  found  in  the  peace  of  God.  "I  will  give  peace  in 
your  coasts:  you  shall  sleep  and  there  shall  be  none  to  make  you 
afraid"  (Levit.  xxvi,  6). — /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 

CHAKITY  THE  FULFItLLNG  OF  THE  LAW 

According  to  St.  Paul,  charity  or  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law. 
St.  Francis  de  Sales  well  explains  how  this  is  the  case.  He  says: 
"The  perfection  of  charity  is  so  far  elevated  above  that  of  the  other 
virtues  that,  though  it  communicates  itself  to  them  all,  it  can  not 
receive  any  additional  value  from  them,  not  even  from  obedience, 
in  which  all  the  other  virtues  participate  most  abundantly.  For 
though  we  obey  in  loving  God,  yet  our  love  does  not  derive  its  per- 
fection from  obedience,  but  from  its  sovereign  and  eternal  object;  if 
it  is  the  most  excellent  of  all  virtues,  it  is  not  because  we  obey  in 
practicing  it,  but  because  its  motive  is  the  most  excellent  of  all  per- 
fections, being  Divine.  In  observing  the  commandment  of  love,  we 
certainly  obey,  and  we  prove  our  love  by  obeying;  but  the  perfection 
of  obedience  is  not  derived  from  the  docility  which  animates  our 
love,  but  from  the  love  which  inflames  our  obedience.  Hence  we 
may  conclude,  that,  as  God  is  the  principle  and  the  term  of  all  that  is 
good,  so  charity,  which  is  the  source  and  origin  of  all  holy  affections, 
is  likewise  their  end  and  perfection"  (Treatise  on  "The  Love  of  God," 
Bk.  xi,  Ch.  ix.). — Arthiir  Devine,  C.  P. 

As  the  hart  pantcth  after  the  fountains  of  zvater,  so  my  soul  panteth 
after  Thee,  O  God. — My  soul  hath  thirsted  after  the  strong  liznng 
God:  when  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  the  Face  of  God? 

—Ps.  XLI.  2-3. 

There  remain  faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three;  hut  the  greater  of 
these  is  charity. — I.  Cor.  XIII,   13. 

//  /  should  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and 
have  not  charity,  I  aw  nothing. — I.  Cor.  XIII,  2. 

Charity  cover eth  all  sins. — Prov.  X,  12. 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR     257 

TRUE  CHARITY  MUST  BE  BASED  UPON  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD 

The  only  true  charity  is  that  which  is  based  upon  the  love  of  God. 
The  second  commandment  is  like  to  the  first,  and  this  is  so  to  the 
extent  of  being  practically  the  same  commandment.  We  may  call 
charity  towards  others  the  Love  of  God  at  work.  Why  do  you 
serve  and  help  others?  Is  it  because  you  arc  of  a  kind  disposition, 
and  find  pleasure  in  so  doing?  Is  it  to  get  a  social  reputation,  to 
read  your  name  at  the  head  of  subscription  lists,  or  to  hear  yourself 
spoken  of  with  praise?  Is  it  an  easy  way  to  paying  your  debts  to 
God?  Is  it  your  custom,  instead  of  denying  your  self-indulgence  in 
this  or  that  obvious  way,  to  write  a  check  for  some  charity?  Alas! 
my  brethren,  such  as  these  have  received  their  reward.  God  did  not 
promise  to  recompense  those  who  gave  a  "cup  of  cold  water,"  but 
those  who  gave  it  "in  His  Name."  This  purity  of  motive  must  be 
at  the  back  of  our  charitable  actions,  if  we  wish  for  the  reward  of 
charity.  A  mistake  is  made  by  many  who  think  that  charity  is  action 
merely.  It  is  more  than  this.  Action  holds  the  second  place,  the 
virtue  of  charity  the  first.  A  virtue  is  a  disposition  of  the  will,  or  a 
habit  which  inclines  us  to  action  on  suitable  occasions.  It  is  based 
upon  the  reasoning  of  the  intellect.  According  to  the  clearness  of 
view  will  be  the  strength  of  the  disposition  to  action.  Thus  we  all 
recognize  at  once  the  duty  we  have  of  supporting  our  parents.  This 
view  becomes  clearer,  more  obvious,  and  more  compelling  when  sick- 
ness and  poverty  have  rendered  them  helpless.  Then  the  will  is 
strongly  moved  to  act.  First,  then,  we  must  try  to  appreciate  how 
truly  charity  to  others  is  the  teaching  and  spirit  of  the  New  Law. 
This  we  have  already  considered,  and  quotations  from  the  New 
Testament  could  be  multiplied  sufficiently  to  convince  us  over- 
whelmingly. Our  judgment,  when  we  stand  before  God's  throne, 
will  be  of  the  same  nature  as  the  judgment  we  have  given  to  others: 
"Forgive,  and  you  shall  be  forgiven"  (Matt,  vi,  12).  "With  what 
measure  you  judge,  you  shall  be  judged"  (Matt,  vii,  i).  "Judge  not, 
and  you  shall  not  be  judged"  (Ibid.).  "Blessed  are  the  merciful, 
for  they  shall  obtain  mercy." — B.  Hayes,  O.  S.  B. 

THE  MERCY  OF  GOD  OUR  ONLY  SALVATION 

Before  God  we  are  all  debtors  and  sinners.  If  God  were  exacting 
and  dealt  with  us  in  strict  justice,  not  one  of  us  would  escape.  His 
wrath  would  devour  us  like  fire.  Our  only  salvation,  our  only  hope, 
is  the  mercy  of  God.  Our  sins  are  before  us  day  and  night,  glaring 
and  red,  crying  to  Heaven  and  clamouring  for  vengeance.  Who  will 
blot  out  the  sad  record  of  our  many  failings?  Who  will  propitiate 
the  just  anger  of  our  offended  God?  There  is  but  one  answer. 
Deeds  of  mercy  will  cancel  our  sins. — Charles  Bruehl. 

CHARITY  BLOTS  OUT  SINS 

She  is  the  queen  of  virtues,  lifting  up  man  to  heavenly  heights  and 
pleading  powerfully  in  his  behalf.  Mercy  has  strong  wings;  she 
penetrates  the  clouds,  soars  above  the  stars  and  enters  into  the  very 
heavens.  This  you  may  learn  from  the  sacred  writings,  wherein  you 
read:  Thy  prayers  and  thy  alms  are  ascended  for  a  memorial  in  the 
sight  of  God.     This  means:  though  you  have  many  sins,  fear  not. 


258    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LXSTRUCTIONS 

if  you  have  alms  and  works  of  mercy  to  plead  for  you;  they  will 
blot  out  the  handwriting  that  stands  against  you. 

— St.  John  Chrysostom. 

BEATIFICATION     REFUSED     ON     ACCOUNT     OF     AN     OFFENSE     AGAINST 
CHARITY 

In  the  eighteenth  century  there  lived  in  Rome  a  priest  having  a 
reputation,  and  a  just  reputation,  for  high  sanctity,  confirmed  even 
by  miracles.  It  fell  to  his  lot  to  attend  a  criminal,  condemned  to 
death.  The  unfortunate  man  refused  to  repent,  and  uttered  continu- 
ally the  most  horrible  blasphemies.  For  three  whole  days  the  "saint," 
as  he  was  popularly  called,  besought  this  poor  wretch  not  to  die  in 
final  impenitence.  It  was  all  to  no  purpose.  Even  on  the  very 
scaffold,  which  the  good  priest  mounted  with  him,  the  condemned  man 
refused  his  ministrations  and  remained  obstinate.  At  last,  as  the 
moment  of  the  execution  arrived,  the  baffled  priest  turned  to  the 
crowd  around  the  scaffold,  and  cried  out  in  accents  of  despair, 
"People !  come  and  see  the  death  of  a  reprobate."  Forty  years  after- 
wards the  process  of  beatification  of  this  priest,  who  had  died  in  the 
odour  of  sanctity,  was  attempted.  His  virtues  were  heroic;  his 
miracles  appeared  well-proved.  But  his  cause  was  rejected  because 
of  those  few  rash  words,  which  were  judged  to  constitute  a  deviation 
from  the  spirit  of  the  Church.  Therefore  the  Church  refused  him 
the  honour  of  her  altars. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

ADMONISHING  AN  ERRING  BROTHER 

Those  who  are  not  superiors  are  not  bound  by  any  obligation  in 
justice  to  correct  evildoers.  But  the  Divine  law  of  charity  obliges 
all  to  admonish  an  erring  brother  when  it  can  be  done  without 
prejudice  to  oneself  and  with  profit  to  the  erring  one. 

— /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 

WILFUL  AVERSION  AND  NATURAL  ANTIPATHY 

The  form  of  hatred  which  includes  wishing  evil  to  another  is  more 
sinful  than  that  which  stops  at  a  mere  aversion.  Still  the  latter  is 
sinful,  and  may  be  gravely  sinful;  for  we  are  bound  to  love  all,  even 
our  enemies ;  and  as  Christians  we  may  not  exclude  anyone  from  that 
charity  which  Jesus  Christ  has  commanded.  But,  dear  brethren,  when 
I  speak  of  aversion,  as  a  form  of  hatred,  I  mean  zvilful  aversion ;  the 
deliberate  exclusion  of  a  fellow  being  from  that  charity  to  which  we 
are  obliged  by  the  Christian  law.  And  we  must  remember,  dear 
brethren,  that  this  is  a  question,  not  of  liking,  but  of  the  exercise  of 
Christian  charity;  a  matter  more  of  the  will  than  of  the  feelings. 
We  can  not  like  everyone :  there  are  persons  for  whom  one  feels  a 
natural  antipathy. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

CHARITY   AND   PATIENCE 

All  during  his  holy  life  John  the  Almoner  was  renowned  for  his 
bountiful  charity  to  the  poor.  To  convince  himself  of  the  Saint's 
generosity,  a  rich  man  once  clothed  himself  in  tattered  garments  and 
stationed  himself  in  front  of  the  hospital  which  the  Almoner  was 
accustomed  to  pass.  As  soon  as  he  noticed  the  holy  man  he  cried 
out:  "Have  mercy  on  me,  for  I  am  wretched,  having  just  been  freed 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR    259 

from  prison."  Turning  to  his  servant  who  carried  his  money,  St. 
John  said:  "Give  this  man  six  pieces  of  silver."  The  stranger  having 
received  the  offering,  thanked  his  benefactor  and  went  away.  As 
soon  as  the  Saint  was  out  of  sight,  tlie  rich  man  again  changed  his 
unseemly  clothes,  donned  others,  and  meeting  the  servant  of  God 
on  another  street,  said:  "Take  pity  on  me,  Father,  for  I  am  in  great 
need."  This  time  seven  pieces  of  money  were  given  him.  Under  a 
different  guise,  for  a  third  time  the  man  presented  himself  for  an 
alms,  whereupon  the  Saint's  servant  thus  addressed  him :  "This  is  the 
third  time  to-day,  Father,  that  this  beggar  has  importuned  you.  What 
shall  1  do?"  "Give  him  twelve  pieces  of  silver,"  was  the  reply,  "for 
it  may  be  Jesus  Christ  Himself  who  has  assumed  the  guise  to  try 
me."  Thus  was  the  rich  man  convinced  of  John  the  Almoner's 
patience  and  charity. — Frederick  Renter. 

THE  WORDS  OF  ST.  PETER  VS.  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  WEALTHY 

The  Apostle  St.  Peter  said:  "Silver  and  gold  I  have  none,  but  what 
I  have  I  give  thee,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  arise  and 
walk"  (Acts  III,  6).  The  wealthy  of  our  days,  however,  say:  "Faith 
and  charity  I  have  none,  but  what  I  have,  silver  and  gold,  I  will  not 
part  with." — St.  Jerome. 

THE   THREE   QUALITIES   OF   CHARITY 

True  charity  consists  in  three  things,  in  giving,  in  forgiving  and 
in  interceding. — Albert  us  Magnus. 

THE   DUTIES   OF   CHARITY 

And  as  by  this  law  are  inculcated  charity  and  love,  it  must  also 
enjoin  all  those  offices  and  actions  that  follow  in  their  train.  "Charity 
is  patient,"  says  St.  Paul  (I  Cor.  xiii,  4)  ;  we  are  therefore  commanded 
patience,  in  which  the  Saviour  teaches  we  shall  possess  our  souls 
(Luke,  xxi,  19).  "Charity  is  kind"  (I  Cor.  xiii,  4)  ;  beneficence  is, 
therefore,  her  companion  and  associate.  The  virtue  of  benignity  and 
beneficence  is  one  of  great  latitude;  and  its  principal  office  consists 
in  relieving  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  in  feeding  the  hungry,  giving 
drink  to  the  thirsty,  clothing  the  naked;  and  the  more  each  one  stands 
in  need  of  our  succour,  the  greater  should  be  our  liberality  towards 
him. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  CHARITABLE  NEED  NOT  FEAR  DEATH 

He  that  will  have  loved  the  poor  during  his  life,  will  behold  the 
moment  of  death  approach  without  fear. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

SOCIAL   SERVICE   OF  THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH 

Justice  Brewer  (Non-Cath.),  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
delivering  a  lecture  at  Haverford  College  (Society  of  Friends,  com- 
monly called  Quakers),  asked:  "What  single  organization  has  done 
more  for  the  orphan  than  the  Catholic  Church  ?  What  one,  through 
hospital  or  asylum,  more  for  the  sick  and  afflicted?  If  you  were  to 
select  a  single  face  and  form  as  typical  expression  of  the  great 
thought  of  charity  and  kindness,  whose  would  you  select  other  than 
the  face  and  form  of  a  Sister  of  Charity?     .     .     .     Surely,  as  the 


260    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

vision  of  this  rises  in  your  mind,  you  see  the  presence  and  form  of 
those  whose  faith  is  in  the  Man  of  Galilee." 

CHARITY  A  CHRISTIAN   VIRTUK 

Christianity  for  the  first  time  made  charity  a  rudimentary  virtue, 
giving  it  a  leading  place  in  the  moral  type,  and  in  the  exhortations  of 
its  teachers.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  mankind  it  has 
inspired  many  thousands  of  men  and  women  to  devote  their  entire 
lives  to  the  single  object  of  assuaging  the  sufferings  of  humanity. 
It  has  indissolubly  united,  in  the  minds  of  men,  the  idea  of  supreme 
goodness  with  that  of  active  and  constant  benevolence. 

— Lecky  (Non-Cath.). 

CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS  UNKNOWN   IN  PAGAN  ANTIQUITY 

The  records  of  pagan  antiquity  will  be  searched  in  vain  for  any 
institution  to  support  those  who  are  unable  to  maintain  themselves. 

A  LEGEND  OF  ST.   ELIZABETH  OF  HUNGARY 

It  is  said  that  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  who  was  distinguished 
for  her  charity,  was  opposed  in  her  work  by  her  husband.  A  legend 
relates  that  once  she  was  carrying  some  bread  to  the  poor,  which  she 
tried  to  conceal  from  her  husband's  eye.  He,  however,  discovered  the 
bundle  which  she  carried,  and  commanded  her  to  open  it.  When  it 
was  opened,  the  bread  had  turned  to  roses,  red  and  white,  sending 
forth  sweet  fragrance  and  beautiful  to  look  upon.  Gentle  deeds  of 
charity  always  turn  fragrant  and  beautiful  in  our  hands. 

WHO  IS  OUR  NEIGHBOUR? 

St.  Augustine  tells  us  that  he  is  our  neighbour  who  at  any  given 
moment  needs  our  help,  whom  God  has  placed  within  our  reach  and 
has,  as  it  were,  thrown  upon  our  care.  Providence  had  sent  the  priest 
and  Lcvite  along  that  very  road  on  which  the  Samaritan  had  come 
to  grief;  they  should  have  proved  neighbours  and  friends  to  him;  but 
they  sadly  neglected  their  duty.  Providence  also  sends  us  on  errands 
of  mercy ;  perchance  there  is  some  poor  Lazarus  at  the  threshold  of 
our  door;  will  we  be  blind  to  all  these  splendid  opportunities? 

WHAT    WE    SEE    IN    OTHERS   IS    USUAI.LY    THE    REFLECTION    OF    WHAT 
WE  ARE 

A  boy  in  the  woods  thought  he  heard  the  voice  of  another  boy 
not  far  off.  He  shouted,  "Halloa,  there!"  and  the  voice  shouted 
back,  "Halloa,  there!"  "Who  are  you?"  he  again  cried,  and  the  voice 
replied  "Who  are  you?"  "You  are  a  mean  boy";  again  the  cry  came 
back  "You  are  a  mean  boy."  He  went  home  and  told  his  mother  that 
there  was  a  bad  boy  in  the  woods.  His  mother  understood  how  it 
was,  and  said  to  him:  "Well,  speak  kindly  to  him,  and  see  if  he  does 
not  speak  kindly  to  you."  The  boy  went  to  the  woods  again  and 
shouted,  "You  are  a  good  boy."  Of  course  the  reply  came,  "You 
are  a  good  boy."  "I  love  you."  "I  love  you,"  said  the  voice.  The 
story  of  the  echo  is  a  story  of  life.  What  we  see  that  is  disagreeable 
and  evil  in  our  neighbours  is  generally  the  reflection  of  what  we  are 
ourselves. 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR     261 

LENIENCY  TOWARD  OUR   NEIGHBOUR 

Thou  knowcst  well  enough  how  to  excuse  and  colour  thy  own 
doings,  and  thou  wilt  not  take  the  excuses  of  others.  It  were  more 
just  that  thou  shouldst  accuse  thyself,  and  excuse  thy  brother. 

— Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Why  scest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye;  and  seesl 
not  the  beam  that  is  in  thy  own  eye? — Or  how  saycst  thou  to  thy 
brother:  Let  me  cast  the  mote  out  of  thy  eye;  and  behold  a  beam 
in  thy  own  eye? — Thori  hypocrite!  cast  out  first  the  beam  out  of 
thy  ozvn  eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see  to  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy 
brother's  eye. — Matt.  VII,  3-5. 

Judgment  zmthout  mercy  to  him  that  hath  not  done  mercy.  And 
mercy  exalteth  itself  above  judgment. — James  II.  13. 

Forgive  thy  neighbour  if  he  hath  hurt  thee;  and  then  shall  thy 
sins  be  forgiven  to  thee  when  thou  prayest. — Ecclus.  XXVIII,  2. 

All  things,  therefore,  zuhatsoever  you  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,  do  you  also  to  them:  for  this  is  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 

—Matt.  VII,  12. 

The  love  of  our  neighbour  worketh  no  evil.  Love  therefore  is 
the  fulfilling  of  the  Law. — Rom.  XIII,  10. 

Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  you  shall  fulfil  the  Law 
of  Christ.— Gal.  VI,  2. 

CHARITY  TOWARDS   ALL 

On  one  occasion  it  happened  that  a  poor  woman  in  great  distress 
went  to  a  pious  Archbishop  in  France  to  ask  of  him  an  alms.  "My 
lord,  what  shall  I  give  her?"  asked  the  secretary.  "How  old  is 
she?"  asked  the  venerable  prelate.  "She  appears  to  be  about 
seventy  years  of  age."  "Does  she  seem  to  be  in  great  need  of 
help?"  "She  says  she  is,  my  lord."  "We  must,  then,  believe  her 
word.  Give  her  twenty-five  francs."  "Twenty-five  francs,  my  lord !" 
said  the  secretary  in  astonishment ;  "that  is  surely  too  much  to  give 
to  one  like  her;  moreover,  she  is  a  Jewess."  "Oh,  that  makes  the 
case  quite  different.  Go  and  give  her  fifty  francs  and  thank  her 
for  coming  to  honour  me  with  a  visit." 

CHARITY   TOWARD   NON-CATHOLICS 

It  is  our  duty  to  get  rid  of  all  false  and  pessimistic  notions  regard- 
ing non-Catholics  in  general,  and  converts  in  particular.  I  heard  an 
old  Irishman  in  Iowa  say  once,  "I  would  not  so  much  as  tip  my  hat 
to  a  Protestant."  His  hostile  attitude  was  born  of  old  days  of  bitter 
hatred  and  persecution  in  Ireland.  It  was  out  of  place  in  free 
America;  it  was  foreign  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  Jesus.  I  have  heard 
others  say,  "Nearly  every  Protestant  is  in  bad  faith."  They  ignored 
the  strong  influences  of  early  education,  the  power  of  a  hostile  non- 


262    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Catholic  environment  and  literature  to  prejudice  the  minds  of  honest 
men.  They  generalized  from  a  particular  case  of  bad  faith  they  had 
come  across  in  their  own  experience.  Is  it  not  the  more  Catholic 
way  to  suppose  every  man  sincere  and  earnest  until  he  be  proved  a 
hypocrite?  I  met  lately  a  very  sincere  Protestant,  a  college  bred 
man  of  twenty-eight,  who  was  engaged  to  marry  a  Catholic  girl.  The 
marriage  day  was  set;  the  parents  on  both  sides  saw  no  objections 
to  the  match.  His  betrothed  had  asked  him,  however,  to  study  the 
Catholic  Catechism  and  read  a  few  Catholic  books  in  the  few  months 
prior  to  their  marriage.  He  undertook  the  study  with  the  firm  resolve 
to  become  a  Catholic,  if  he  could  satisfy  his  conscience  as  to  the  truth 
of  the  Church's  claims.  Imagine  his  surprise  to  have  a  Catholic  tell 
him:  "Why  all  this  pretense?  You  know  you  are  merely  doing  this 
to  please  your  sweetheart.  You  would  become  a  Mohammedan  to 
marry  her."  It  was  a  sad  commentary  on  the  brotherly  love  he  had 
expected  to  find  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  might  have  been 
enough  to  make  him  hate  the  Catholic  Church  forever  had  he  not 
intelligence  enough  to  distinguish  between  the  Church  and  a  stupid 
member  thereof. — Bertrand  L.  Conway,  C.  S.  P. 

LOVE  ONE  ANOTHER 

When  St.  John,  the  beloved  disciple  of  Our  Lord,  was  a  very  old 
man,  and  not  able  to  walk,  the  faithful  used  to  carry  him  to  the 
church,  that  they  might  hear  him  preach  to  them  the  heavenly 
lessons  he  had  heard  from  the  lips  of  his  Divine  Master. 

He  could  not  preach  to  them  long  sermons,  because  he  was 
so  feeble,  so  they  listened  to  him  with  the  greatest  eagerness,  that 
they  might  hear  every  word  he  said.  But  St.  John  always  said  to  them 
the  same  words :    "My  little  children,  love  one  another." 

The  faithful  at  length  became  weary  of  hearing  the  same  thing 
so  often  repeated  to  them,  so  they  one  day  said  to  him :  "Master, 
why  do  you  always  preach  to  us  the  same  words?" 

St.  John  answered:  "My  little  children,  it  is  the  commandment  of 
the  Lord;  if  it  is  done,  it  is  enough." — History  of  the  Church. 

LOVE  OF  THE  BLESSED  CURE  OF  ARS  FOR  SOULS 

One  day  a  certain  priest  asked  the  Cure  of  Ars  what  he  would 
do  if  God  gave  him  his  choice  to  go  into  Heaven  at  once,  or  to 
labour  for  many  years  in  this  world  for  the  conversion  of  sinners. 
He  answered:  "I  think  that  I  would  remain  on  earth."  "Is  that 
possible?"  exclaimed  the  other.  "Would  you  not  rather  be  in 
Heaven  happy  with  the  Saints,  and  free  from  all  temptations  and 
dangers?"  The  good  Cure  answered:  "Yes,  it  is  true  the  Saints 
are  happy,  but  they  are  living  on  their  interest.  They  cannot  any 
longer  glorify  God  by  labouring,  by  sufferings,  and  by  sacrifices  for 
the  salvation  of  souls."  "And  would  you  wish  to  live  in  tlie  world 
to  the  very  end  of  it  for  the  sake  of  poor  sinners?"  "Yes,  I  would," 
he  replied. 

PATIENCE  ^VITH   OTHERS 

Endeavour  to  be  patient  in  supporting  the  defects  and  infirmities 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR    263 

of  others,  of  what  kind  soever;  because  thou  also  hast  many  things 
which  others  must  bear  withal. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

OUR  MITIAL  DEPENDENCE  UPON  ONE  ANOTHER 

The  voice  of  nature  calls  on  us  to  exercise  this  brotherly  love 
towards  our  fellow  beings.  We  are  all  children  of  the  same 
Heavenly  Father,  and  consequently  members  of  the  same  great 
family.  We  may  be  separated  by  degrees  of  standing  in  society,  by 
the  accidents  of  wealth  or  poverty,  or  by  the  influence  which  we 
wield  among  our  fellow  men ;  but  there  is  between  us  the  common 
tie  of  brotherhood  which  binds  us  together  as  children  of  the  one 
great  Father.  Even  the  story  of  human  sorrow  proclaims  that  tie 
of  brotherhood,  as  the  poet  so  beautifully  expressed  it,  "One  touch  of 
nature  makes  the  whole  world  akin."  Our  mutual  dependence  upon 
one  another  as  the  members  of  the  one  human  society  is  well 
expressed  by  Caroline,  Queen  of  England: 

"Unthinking,  idle,  wild,  and  young, 
I  laughed,  and  danced,  and  talked,  and  sung; 
Thinking  in  those  hours  of  glee 
That  all  this  world  was  made  for  me. 

But  when  the  hour  of  trial  came, 
And  sickness  shook  this  trembling  frame, 
To  me  occurred  how  sad  'twould  be 
If  all  this  world  were  made  for  me." 

— /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 

WTTHOrT  CHARITY  ONE  CANNOT  BE  A  GOOD  CATHOLIC 

John  is,  in  the  eyes  of  everybody,  a  good  Catholic.  For  does 
he  not  go  to  Mass  faithfully  every  Sunday  and  holiday,  and  regularly 
approach  the  Sacraments  ?  He  could  not  be  induced  to  eat  meat 
on  a  Friday,  he  has  a  well  earned  reputation  for  probity  in  his 
business  dealings,  he  is  a  model  husband  and  father.  Surely  he 
has  a  right  to  be  called  a  good  Catholic.  No,  my  brethren,  he  is 
not  a  good  Catholic.  He  lacks,  in  God's  sight,  the  distinctive  mark 
of  a  follower  of  Christ.  "By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are 
my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  for  another."  Some  time  ago 
a  rival  in  business  did  him  an  injury,  or  an  acquaintance  has  spoken 
ill  of  him.  He  has  never  forgiven  that  man.  He  refuses  to  speak 
to  him,  or  he  insults  him  when  they  meet ;  he  thwarts  his  plans, 
or,  if  no  opportunity  has  yet  offered,  he  nurses  his  wrath,  and 
repeats  with  steadfast  purpose,  "Never  mind,  I  will  get  even  with 
that  fellow  some  day."  Perhaps  he  takes  credit  to  himself  for  his 
generosity  in  works  of  religion  or  charity.  But  he  has  forgotten, 
or  has  never  heard  the  warning  of  Christ:  "1  say  to  you,  whoever 
is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.  If, 
therefore,  thou  offer  thy  gift  at  the  altar  and  then  remember  that 
thy  brother  hath  anything  against  thee,  leave,  then,  thy  offering 
before  the  altar,  and  go  first  to  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then 
coming  thou   shalt   offer  thy   gift"    (Matt,   v,   22-25). 

— James  J.  Fox. 


264    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LMSTRUCTIONS 

Mary  is  a  person  of  exemplary  piety,  a  frequent  communicant, 
and  she  spends  much  time  in  church.  She  has  a  horror  of  mortal 
sin ;  the  recurrent  note  in  her  weekly  Confession  is,  "Father,  I  have 
been  uncharitable  in  my  conversation."  This  is  her  inadequate 
accusation  of  the  fact  that  she  bears  a  grudge  against  some  person, 
refuses  to  speak  to  her,  takes  every  opportunity  to  disparage  her, 
and  helps  along  the  circulation  of  any  unfavourable  stories  that 
she  may  hear  concerning  her.  So  with  all  her  Confessions  and 
Communions  she  makes  no  progress  in  the  spiritual  life,  in  the  love 
of  God.  Her  fault  is  ample  proof  that  when  she  says  her  prayers 
she  does  not  ponder  the  meaning  of  the  "Our  Father,"  and  it  is  no 
rash  judgment  to  suspect  that  much  of  her  other  prayers  and 
devotion  are  equally  empty.  One  victory  over  her  dislike  for  bcr 
neighbour,  one  honest  effort  to  banish  from  her  heart  her  feelings  of 
resentment,  would  be  more  pleasing  to  God,  more  fruitful  of  grace 
for  herself,  than  many  vain   repetitions  of  empty  prayer. 

— James  J.  Fox. 

Let  there  be  no  quarrel. — Gen.  XIII,  8. 

Better  is  a  dry  morsel  with  joy  than  a  house  full  of  victims  with 
strife.— Prov.  XVII,   i. 

The  peace  of  God,  which  surpasseth  all  understanding,  keep  your 
hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus. — Philipp.  IV,  7. 

Blessed  are  the  peace -makers;  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God. — Matt.  V,  9. 

Much  peace  have  they  that  love  Thy  law;  and  to  them  there 
is  no  stumbling-block. — Ps.  CXVIII,  165. 

Behold  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dztell 
together  in  unity. — Like  the  precious  ointment  on  the  head,  that 
ran  dozvn  upon  the  beard,  the  beard  of  Aaron;  ivhich  ran  down  to 
the  skirt  of  his  garment: — as  the  dew  of  Herman,  which  descendeth 
upon  Mount  Sion. — For  there  the  Lord  hath  commanded  blessing, 
and  life  for  evermore. — Ps.  CXXXII,  1-4. 

SEE  HOW  THOSE  CHRISTIANS  HATE  ONE  ANOTHER 

"See  how  these  Christians  love  one  another."  Such  was  the 
feature  of  Christianity  that  most  deeply  impressed  itself  upon  the 
thoughts  of  men.  strangers  to  the  compassionate  love  of  brotherhood 
that  took  its  inspiration  from  an  example  of  a  life  of  perfect,  self- 
forgetting  love.  Alas !  that  this  can  be  called  true  of  Christians  as 
a  whole  no  longer.  "See  how  those  Christians  hate  one  another." 
has  become  the  jeer  and  byword  of  the  unbeliever.  When  men  who 
look  askance  at  the  teaching  of  Christ  as  unpractical  and  out  of 
date,  behold  in  the  world  among  those  who  profess  to  be  disciples 
of  the  Cross  the  very  faults  which  Christ  condemned — petty  jealousies, 
detractions,  backbitings,  angry  words,  enmities,  long-continued  feuds, 
unceasing,  jarring  discords — can  we  wonder  that  they  find  in  our 
unchristian,    unchristlike    lives    the    realization    of    their    worst    sus- 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR     205 

picions,  the  complete  justification  (as  they  think)  of  their  criticism? 
Live,  they  tell  us,  as  you  say  Christ  lived  and  taught  His  followers 
to  live;  be  loving,  gentle,  kind,  unselfish,  forgiving,  and  then  we 
will  believe  that  Christianity  is  no  mere  poetical  fancy  or  idle  tale 
of  a  bygone  uncritical  age,  but  practicable  and  possible  in  the 
present  world  of  everyday  life. — IV.  R.  Carson. 

DISSENSIONS  AMONG  CHRISTIANS 

Few  things  are  more  scandalous  and  calamitous  to  the  Church 
then  dissensions  among  the  brethren,  nothing  more  alien  from  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ.  St.  Paul  continually  exhorts  the  faithful  in 
his  epistles  to  beware  of  such  things.  His  great  fear  was  this : 
"Lest,  perhaps,  when  I  come  I  shall  not  find  you  such  as  I  would 
.  .  .  lest,  perhaps,  contentions,  envyings,  animosities,  dissensions, 
detractions,  whisperings,  seditions,  be  among  you"  (H  Cor.  xii,  20). 
Elsewhere  he  reprehends  his  converts  for  their  dissensions.  "Dare 
any  of  you  having  a  matter  against  another  go  to  be  judged  before 
the  unjust  and  not  before  the  Saints  ...  I  speak  to  your  shame 
.  .  .  Brother  goeth  to  law  with  brother  and  that  before  unbelievers. 
Already  there  is  plainly  a  fault  among  you  that  you  have  lawsuits 
one  with  another.  Why  do  you  not  rather  put  up  with  injury?  Why 
do  you  not  sufifer  yourselves  to  be  defrauded?  But  you  do  wrong 
and  defraud,  and  that  to  your  brethren"  (I  Cor.  vi).  Let  us  bear 
in  mind  also  the  words  of  Our  Lord  about  forgiveness,  and  remember 
that  they  apply  with  double  force  to  those  enmities  which  exist 
between  brethren  in  the  faith.  "When  you  shall  stand  to  pray 
forgive,  if  you  have  aught  against  any  man;  that  your  Father  also 
who  is  in  Heaven  may  forgive  you  your  sins.  But  if  you  will  not 
forgive,  neither  will  your  Father  who  is  in  Heaven  forgive  you  your 
sins"  (JNIark  xi,  25-26). — Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

THE  POWER  OF  LOVE 

There  is  an  ancient  legend  of  St.  Modobert,  which  tells  us 
that  his  mother  was  blind ;  and  one  day,  while  looking  at  her,  he 
telt  so  sympathetic  for  her  that  he  rushed  forward  and  kissed  her 
blind  eyes.  And  immediately  she  received  her  sight.  This  is  only 
a  legend,  but  it  is  a  great  truth  that  the  kiss  of  love  has  healing 
in  it,  and  may  bring  to  many  a  blind  eye  eternal  illumination. 

LOVE  LIGHTENS  BURDENS 

Humboldt  says  that  the  copper-coloured  native  of  Central  America 
is  far  more  accustomed  than  the  European  traveler  to  the  burning 
heat  of  the  climate,  yet  complains  more  when  upon  a  journey, 
because  he  is  stimulated  by  no  interest.  The  same  Indian  who  would 
complain  when,  in  botanizing,  he  was  loaded  with  a  box  full  of 
plants,  would  row  his  canoe  fourteen  or  fifteen  hours  together  against 
the  current  without  a  murmur,  because  he  wished  to  return  to  his 
family.  Labours  of  love  are  light.  Love  much,  and  you  can  do 
much.    Impossibilities  disappear  when  zeal  is  fervent 

THE  LOVE  OF  ENEMIES 

The  offices  of  beneficence  and  goodness,  which  are  in  themselves 
exalted,    if    done    to    enemies    become    still    more    exalted,    for    the 


266    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Saviour  says:  "Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you" 
(Matt.  V,  44);  and  the  Apostle  admonishes  in  these  words:  "If  ihy 
enemy  be  hungry,  give  him  to  eat;  if  he  thirst  give  him  drink; 
for  doing  this  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be  not 
overcome  by  evil,  but  overcome  evil  by  good"  (Rom.  xii,  20  sq.). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

The  love  of  the  neighbour  does  not  mean  loving  only  those  that 

please  you,  even  the  pagans  love  their  friends.     The  Christian  love 

of  the  neighbour  is  proved  by  the  love  of  the  enemy,  and  the  love 
of  those  who  antagonize  and  persecute  you. — Albertus  Magnus. 

I  say  to  yon:  Love  your  enemies;  do  good  to  them  that  hate 
yon:  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  and  calumniate  you. — For  if 
you  love  them  that  love  you,  what  rezvard  shall  you  have?  do  not 
even  the  publicans  thisf — Matt.  V,  44,  46. 

Of  the  Jesuit  Father  Binet  it  is  told  that  while  walking  through 
the  streets  of  Paris  one  day  he  met  with  a  physician  who  was  known 
as  a  bitter  opponent  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  The  physician  stopped 
Father  Binet  and  said  to  him  "Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?  I  am  the 
worst  enemy  of  the  society  you  belong  to."  Father  Binet  calmly 
and  amiably  replied,  "My  dear  sir,  if  we  both  succeed  in  working 
out  our  salvation,  we  shall  be  fast  friends  in  Heaven." 

FORGIVING  FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  GOD 

Blessed  John  Gualbert  belonged  to  a  noble  and  wealthy  Florentine 
family,  and  was  well  and  carefully  brought  up.  As  he  approached 
manhood,  the  temptations  common  to  riches  and  high  position  over- 
powered him,  and  he  plunged  into  a  life  of  dissipation  and  vice. 
Nothing  but  God's  merciful  goodness  could  have  rescued  him  from 
the  depths  of  misery  into  which  he  had  fallen.  His  only  brother 
Hugo  had  been  murdered  by  another  noble,  and  John  resolved  to 
avenge  his  death  and  kill  his  murderer.  He  was  constantly  looking 
for  an  opportunity  of  carrying  out  his  design,  and  found  it  on  a 
certain  Good  Friday,  when,  being  on  his  way  back  from  the  country 
to  Florence,  he  met  this  noble  in  a  narrow  gorge,  where  they  could 
not  avoid  coming  face  to  face. 

The  murderer  threw  himself  at  John's  feet,  and  implored  him,  for 
the  sake  of  Christ,  whose  death  they  were  commemorating  that  day, 
to  spare  his  life.  For  a  few  moments  John  was  undecided  how  to  act; 
then  the  remembrance  of  his  Saviour,  praying  for  His  executioners, 
prevailed,  and  he  offered  his  hand  to  his  enemy,  saying:  "I  cannot 
refuse  you  what  you  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  pardon  you. 
Pray  for  me,  that  God  may  forgive  me  also." — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

THE   RELIGION   THAT  INSPIRES   SUCH   ACTS  MUST  SURELY  COME  FROM 
GOD 

In  the  course  of  one  of  his  sermons  the  late  Archbishop  Ryan 
related  this  incident:  During  the  Civil  War  two  Sisters  of  Charity 
while  walking  one  day  through  the  streets  of  Boston  were  insulted  by 
a  man  who  was  intolerant  of  everything  religious.    It  happened  that, 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOUR    267 

as  time  passed,  this  man  entered  the  army,  was  wounded  in  one  of 
the  Missouri  battles,  and  was  brought  to  a  temporary  hospital  in 
charge  of  these  good  sisters,  where  he  was  most  kindly  treated. 
When  he  was  about  to  die,  the  sister  who  attended  him  begged  him 
to  make  his  peace  with  God.  "Sister,"  replied  the  dying  soldier, 
"it  is  true  I  have  been  a  bad  man,  but  there  is  one  act  of  my  life 
weighing  more  heavily  on  my  conscience  than  any  other.  Once  I 
insulted  a  member  of  your  Order.  Were  she  here  now  I  would  fall 
at  her  feet,  ask  her  forgiveness,  and  die  in  peace."  "Be  comforted," 
replied  the  sister,  "she  has  already  pardoned  you.  The  moment  you 
were  brought  in  here  I  recognized  you  by  the  mark  on  your  forehead, 
but  long  ago  I  pardoned  you  from  my  heart."  "And  why,"  rejoined 
the  soldier,  "have  you  been,  if  anything,  kinder  to  me  than  the 
others?"  "Because  you  insulted  me  for  His  sake,"  she  responded, 
kissing  her  crucifix.  "Then  send  at  once  for  your  priest,"  begged  the 
dying  man.  "The  religion  that  inspires  such  acts  must  surely  come 
from  God." 

A  certain  heretic  had  conceived  the  design  of  assassinating  the 
Duke  of  Guise,  one  of  the  most  zealous  defenders  of  the  Catholic 
religion  of  his  days  in  the  kingdom  of  France.  This  design  was 
discovered,  and  the  Duke  was  informed  of  it.  Summoning  the  in- 
tending assassin  into  his  presence,  he  said  to  him,  with  an  air  of 
astonishment:  "Have  I  ever  done  you  any  wrong,  that  you  should 
thus  desire  to  kill  me?'"  "No,"  replied  the  other,  "you  have  never 
done  me  any  harm."  "Why,  then,  did  you  resolve  to  put  me  to 
death?"  "It  was  because  I  wished  to  defend  my  religion,"  replied  his 
enemy.  The  Duke  made  this  beautiful  answer:  "If  your  religion 
enjoins  you  to  assassinate  your  enemy,  mine  commands  me  to  forgive; 
I  freely  pardon  you." 

Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do. 

—Luke  XXIII,  34. 

FORGIVING  AS  CHRIST  FORGAVE 

A  penitent  of  St.  Philip  Neri  on  one  occasion  refused  to  forgive  a 
man  who  had  injured  him.  The  holy  man,  seeing  that  his  words  made 
no  impression  on  his  hardened  heart,  took  a  crucifix  into  his  hands, 
and  placing  it  before  the  eyes  of  the  obstinate  sinner,  said:  "Behold, 
and  consider  well  the  example  which  our  Lord  and  Master  has  given 
us.  Not  only  did  He  Himself  forgive  even  those  who  crucified  Him, 
but,  hanging  in  agony  on  the  Cross,  He  prayed  to  His  Heavenly 
Father  also  to  forgive  them.  You  also  daily  recite  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  In  doing  so,"  continued  the  Saint,  "you  ask  of  God,  not 
pardon  for  what  you  have  done  against  Him,  but  your  own  eternal 
condemnation.  Cast  yourself  on  your  knees  before  this  image  of  your 
Divine  Master  dying  for  your  sins,  and  say  to  Him :  'O  Lord  Jesus, 
it  was  not  enough  that  Thou  shouldst  die  once  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  awful  torments  for  my  salvation;  Thou  must  die  again  if  Thou 
dost  wish  to  obtain  from  me  that  I  should  pardon  my  enemy.'  " 

The  Saint  said  these  words  in  so  touching  a  voice  that  the  man 
became  deeply  affected.  He  burst  into  tears,  and  cried  out :  "O  my 
Father,  I  forgive — yes,  I  forgive  from^  my  heart  him  who  has  offended 


268    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

me,  and  I  will  do  for  him  all  that  you  may  ask  me,  to  show  the  fulness 
of  my  forgiveness." 

THE  COXriDEXCE  \VE  GATS  BY  FORGIVING 

A  certain  man  was  at  the  point  of  death  who  had  led  an  ordinary 
life  and  had  not  been  given  to  great  austerities,  yet  was  very  calm 
and  l^.appy.  The  priest  asked  him  if  he  was  afraid  to  die.  "Oh,  no," 
he  replied.  "I  have  always  kept  a  guard  on  my  heart,  and  tried  to 
forget  and  forgive  all  the  evil  that  was  ever  done  to  me;  and  I  hope 
that  the  good  God  will  forgive  me  as  He  has  promised." 

THE  MALICE  OF  REVENGE 

The  particular  malice  of  revenge  consists  in  this,  that  every  such 
act  of  injustice  committed  with  a  revengeful  purpose  takes  on  a 
second  and  a  darker  dye,  inasmuch  as  it  is  also  a  violation  of  the  great 
distinctive  Christian  commandment,  which  calls  on  us  to  love  our 
neighbour. — Bishop  Bellord. 


VIRTUES 

WHAT  IS  ^T[RTCE 

Moral  goodness,  or  virtue,  consists  essentially  in  conformity  to 
God;  and  sin  is  that  action  in  free  agents  which  has  no  counterpart 
in  God,  which  is  non-existent  in  Him,  and  therefore  is  the  contra- 
dictory of  Him  who  embraces  in  Himself  all  existence.  Justice, 
mercy,  peace,  benevolence,  purity,  prudence,  are  in  God;  they  are 
essentially  good ;  they  are  Divine  perfections.  When  we  elicit  one  of 
these  acts  we  do  something  which  is  essentially  good ;  our  action 
resembles  the  Divine  action ;  it  is  a  virtue.  Impurity,  dishonesty, 
hatred,  strife,  do  not  exist  in  God;  they  have  no  existence  of  their 
own;  their  existence  in  us  is  only  the  absence,  or  the  extinction  in 
us  of  that  which  corresponds  to  one  of  God's  perfections. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

VIRTUE 

Fruit  that  is  worm-eaten  does  not  ripen,  it  falls  and  decays.  Thus 
it  is  with  virtue;  if  the  worm  of  vanity,  of  pride,  or  of  passion  is 
allowed  to  infest  it  it  will  not  last. — St.  Theresa. 

NATURAL  VIRTUE 

The  average  of  the  world  is  unreal  and  of  no  use  before  God.  Its 
deficiencies  are  as  fatal ;  its  excellencies  are  of  no  use  except  so  far 
as  they  may  lead  on  to  supernatural  virtue.  We  must  beware  of 
goodness  of  this  sort;  for  it  may  well  be  that  while  we  think  our- 
selves to  be  serving  God,  we  are  only  conforming  ourselves  to  wordly 
virtues  and  worldly  errors.  Let  us  copy  indeed  the  natural  virtues 
of  worldly  men,  as  far  as  they  go,  but  let  us  remember  that  unless  our 
justice  abound  more  than  that  we  shall  never  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven. — Bishop  Bellord. 

There  is  a  zuay  which  seemeth  just  to  a  man;  but  the  endi  thereof 
lead  to  death.— Prov.  XIV,  12. 


VIRTUES  269 

THE  POWER  OF  VIRTUE 

In  the  same  way  as  a  single  spark  may  cause  the  destruction  of  an 
immense  forest,  thus  a  single  spark  of  virtue  in  a  man  may  wipe  out 
a  multitude  of  sins. — St.  John  Climacus. 

NATURAL  AND  8UPERNATURA1,  VIRTUE 

There  cannot  be  any  doubt  that  many  of  those  who  do  not  belong 
to  our  Faith,  and  even  persons  without  any  faith,  are  shininj^  examples 
of  a  virtuous  life.  There  are  natural  and  supernatural  virtues.  Even 
the  pagans  practiced  natural  virtues.  We  read  of  Aristides  in  ancient 
Greece  who  handled  the  funds  of  the  state  and  had  many  opportunities 
for  dishonest  use  of  these  funds,  yet,  he  was  scrupulously  honest  and 
died  a  poor  man.  Others  of  the  pagans  practiced  the  virtues  of  tem- 
perance, obedience,  charity,  and  others.  They  did  these  things  for 
natural  motives,  therefore,  their  virtues  were  natural  ones.  Chris- 
tians, however,  should  practice  virtues  for  a  higher  motive,  namely, 
because  they  are  pleasing  to  God.  Hence  Christian  virtues  are  called 
supernatural. 

WORLDLY  VIRTUE 

There  is  a  system  of  virtue  which  prevails  widely  in  our  day. 
That  is  the  attempt  to  reduce  all  goodness  to  benevolence  and  the 
service  of  man.  It  is  a  godless  system  in  spite  of  much  good  that  is 
in  it,  and  is  not  much  more  than  an  improved  utilitarianism.  Utili- 
tarianism is  a  sort  of  "enlightened  selfishness."  This  other  system 
seeks  the  utility  of  other  men,  their  temporal  and  material  utility. 
As  far  as  it  goes  it  is  good ;  it  has  reduced  many  of  the  great  miseries 
of  life,  it  has  brought  into  action  many  amicable  qualities  and  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  unselfishness;  but  it  is  insufficient,  and  is  a  poor 
substitute  for  that  which  it  imitates — Christian  charity. 

INTELLIGENCE  W^TIIOUT   \^RTUE 

History  affords  many  examples  of  the  miserable  results  of  intelli- 
gence without  virtue.  One  of  the  intellectual  giants  of  the  world,  a 
man  of  unsurpassed  wisdom,  whose  philosophical  writings  are  among 
our  greatest  treasures,  whose  abilities  raised  him  to  wealth,  and  the 
highest  of  dignities,  and  imperishable  renown,  was  yet  able  to  prove 
himself  one  of  the  basest  of  men.  He  was  a  self-seeker,  a  coward, 
a  false  friend,  a  monster  of  ingratitude,  a  perjured  judge  who  sold 
his  verdicts  to  the  highest  bidder,  at  once  the  admiration  and  the 
scorn  of  all  mankind.  In  the  Old  Testament  we  read  of  Achitophel, 
whose  "counsel  which  he  gave  in  those  days,  was  as  if  a  man  should 
consult  God"  (II  Kings  xvi,  23).  His  counsel  was  wicked,  although 
wise;  he  fell  into  disgrace  and  died  by  his  own  hand.  Solomon,  again, 
was  the  wisest  of  men,  but  when  he  forgot  the  law  of  God  he  fell  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  lust  and  idolatry,  and  we  know  not  if  he  repented 
and  saved  his  soul. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  mSDOM  OF  THE  WORLD  APPLIED  TO  THINGS   SPIRITUAL 

The  wisdom  of  the  world  requires  in  the  one  who  would  win  suc- 
cess at  any  of  her  shrines  an  intimate  knowledge  of  his  special  craft. 
Should  not  this  teach  us  that  for  spiritual  growth  we  must  seek  out 


270    ILLUSTRATIONS  TOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

a  never  satiated  intimacy  with  the  principles  of  the  soul  and  the 
science  of  God?  It  is,  in  the  world,  the  man  who  studies,  the  man 
who  becomes  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  laws  and  rules  prevalent 
in  his  special  field  of  labour,  that  reaches  the  goal.  So,  no  matter 
how  shrewd  we  may  be  in  seizing  spiritual  opportunities  or  how 
persistent  in  keeping  the  final  object  before  our  eyes,  we  must  likewise 
study,  to  the  extent  that  we  can,  the  laws  of  the  soul's  life. 

—Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

OUB  OPPOBTUNITY 

Men  need  to  learn  the  great  lesson  of  making  the  most  of  what 
they  have  close  at  hand.  So  many  have  the  feeling  that  other  con- 
ditions in  life  would  make  success  more  certain.  We  look  away  at 
distant  fields,  and  think  they  are  more  green.  The  following  is  an 
illustration  of  this  truth. 

When  Ali  Hafid  was  sitting  in  his  pleasant  home,  with  his  wealth 
of  lands  about  him,  his  children  brought  to  him  a  stranger,  who 
showed  him  a  diamond  that  shone  like  condensed  sunshine.  The 
traveler  told  him  that  one  large  diamond  would  be  worth  all  his  land 
and  wealth.  From  that  moment  Ali  Hafid  was  a  poor  man ;  for  he 
was  no  longer  contented,  but  longed  for  the  glittering  jewels.  He 
arose  in  the  morning,  sold  his  land,  and  went  away  to  search  for 
diamonds :  but  in  vain.  At  last,  in  rags  and  poverty,  he  returned  to 
find  that  the  person  who  had  purchased  his  land,  while  digging  in 
the  stream  at  the  foot  of  the  garden  found  a  shining  gem  which 
proved  to  be  the  first  of  the  diamonds  taken  from  the  Golconda  mines. 
Had  Ali  Hafid  remained,  to  work  in  his  own  fields,  the  diamond 
would  have  been  his. 

So  we  often  seek  for  our  opportunity  afar,  and  forget  that  righ\l 
here,  in  our  lowly  tasks,  in  our  drudgery  even,  are  the  opportunities 
for  finding  truest  riches. 

UNITED  TO  GOD 

He  who  does  not  keep  himself  united  to  God  by  the  exercise  of  His 
Holy  Presence  cannot  succeed  in  what  he  undertakes  for  His  glory. 

— St.    Vincent  de  Paul. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink;  but  Justice,  and 
Peace,  and  Joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. — Rom.  XIV,  17. 

We  have  not  here  a  lasting  city,  but  zve  seek  One  that  is  to  come. 

—Heb.  XIII,   14. 

He  that  is  jxist,  let  him  be  justified  still;  and  he  that  is  holy,  let 
him  be  sanctified  still. — Apoc.  XXII,  11. 

As  the  father  hath  compassion  on  his  children,  so  hath  the  Lord 
compassion  on  them  that  fear  Him. — Ps.  CII,  13. 

I  have  chosen  \ou:  and  have  appointed  you,  that  you  should  go, 
and  should  bring  forth  fruit:  and  your  fruit  should  remain. 

—John  XV,  16. 


VIRTUES  271 

Behold,  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom:  and  to  depart  from 
evil  is  understanding. — Job  XXVIII,  28. 

He  that  thinketh  himself  to  stand,  let  him  take  heed  lest  he  fall. 

— I  Cor.  X,  12. 

Lay  not  up  to  yourselves  treasures  on  earth:  where  the  rust  and 
moth  consume,  and  zvhere  thieves  break  through  and  steal. — But  lay 
up  to  yourselves  treasures  in  Heaven :  zvhcrc  neither  rust  nor  moth 
doth  consume,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal. 

—Matt.  VI,  19-20. 

By  their  fruits  you  shall  know  them.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of 
thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles? — Matt.  VII,  16. 

NATURAJL  PROBITY  ESSENTIAL 

On  the  other  hand,  we  find  that  the  neglect  of  natural  opportuni- 
ties of  goodness  raises  up  the  chief  barriers  to  the  spread  of  Catholic 
truth.  Those  who  do  not  prepare  themselves  while  on  the  lower 
level  of  knowledge  and  grace,  will  never  be  able  to  see  that  light 
which  is  for  the  "revelation  to  the  Gentiles  and  the  glory  of  the 
people"  (Luke  ii,  32).  Where  natural  probity  does  not  exist,  there 
is  a  deficiency  in  the  raw  material  for  the  more  perfect  life;  there 
also  is  wanting  the  depth  of  soil  in  which  the  seed  can  strike  down 
its  roots  and  flourish. — Bishop  Bellord. 

MAN    DESIRES    GOODNESS   IN    EVERYTHING    EXCEPT    IN    HIS    OWN    WAT 
OF  LIVING 

Oh,  the  blindness  and  perverseness  of  man.  All  that  he  has  he 
wants  to  be  good ;  himself  he  doesn't  want  to  be  good.  Who  wants 
to  have  a  farm  that  isn't  good?  or  a  wife  that  isn't  good?  or  a  house 
that  isn't  good?  or  even  a  pair  of  shoes  that  aren't  good?  As  if  bad 
shoes  could  hurt  you  more  than  a  bad  life !  When  your  shoes  are 
bad  you  mend  them,  or  throw  them  away  and  get  a  new  pair;  your 
life  you  will  not  mend. — St.  Augustine. 

VIRTUES  VS.   VICES 

Vice  is  a  habit  which  is  destroyed  through  being  supplanted  by 
another  habit,  which  we  call  virtue.  The  Catholic  Church  singles 
out  seven  capital  vices,  the  sources  of  other  vices,  and  to  them  she 
applies  seven  corresponding  virtues.  A  policeman  can  compel  a 
loafer  to  move  on,  but  he  cannot  create  in  him  a  desire  for  work. 
A  judge  can  sentence  a  swindler  to  a  term  of  imprisonment,  but  he 
cannot  crush  the  passion  of  envy  which  is  the  source  of  all  swindling. 
The  Church,  however,  can  touch  the  springs  of  the  heart  and  can 
there  implant  her  virtues.  To  the  vice  of  pride  she  opposes  the 
virtue  of  humility.  To  that  of  avarice  she  opposes  liberality.  To 
that  of  lust,  charity.  To  anger,  meekness.  To  gluttony  and  drunk- 
eness,  temperance.    To  envy,  brotherly  love.    To  sloth,  diligence. 

— Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

So  let  your  light  shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father,  Who  is  in  Heaven. — Matt.  V,  16. 


272    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

HEROIC   VIRTUE 

The  elect  numbers  his  days  as  those  of  a  hireling;  he  reaches 
forward  unto  his  prize,  the  more  confident  in  hope,  the  more  stead- 
fastly he  endures  under  the  increase  of  toils.  He  watches  the  flowing 
away  of  this  present  time;  he  reckons  up  his  days  and  his  work;  he 
fears  that  any  movement  of  his  lips  should  glide  away  without  its 
appointed  labour;  he  rejoices  in  adversity,  he  is  restored  by  suffering, 
he  is  refreshed  by  sorrow,  because  he  sees  that  he  shall  more  largely 
be  repaid  by  the  rewards  of  the  life  to  come,  the  more  truly  he 
renders  himself  up,  for  the  love  thereof,  unto  a  daily  death. 

— St.  Gregory. 

8MAI.L  VIRTUES  MAKE  GREAT  SAINTS 

St.  Bonaventure  declares:  "Constant  fidelity  in  small  things  is  a 
heroic  act."  "The  small  virtues,"  says  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  "make 
the  great  Saints." 

OUR  GLORY  IN  SUWPLE  THINGS 

To  rule  well  our  family,  to  edify  our  servants,  to  show  justice  and 
mercy,  to  do  the  good  that  God  wishes  us  to  do,  and  to  bear  patiently 
the  trials  that  He  sends  us.  Yet  these  practices  of  everyday  Christian 
life  Christ  will  praise  on  the  last  day  before  His  Heavenly  Father 
and  the  angels.    Where  then  shall  be  the  glory  of  the  world? 

— Bossuet. 

THE  ARMOUR  OF  GOD 

Put  ye  on  the  armour  of  God,  not  merely  to  resist  the  enemy,  but 
to  assail  him  vigorously  and  overcome  him.  For  what  think  ye? 
His  attacks  may  be  grievous  to  us,  but  more  grievous  to  him  our 
prayers.  His  wickedness  and  guile  injure  us,  but  far  more  do  our 
simplicity  and  mercifulness  torture  him.  He  cannot  endure  our 
humility,  he  is  burned  by  our  charity  and  racked  by  our  kindness 
and  obedience. — St.  Bernard. 


CHASTITY 

THE  MEANS  TO  ATTAIN  CHASTITY 

Chastity  is  "a  gift"  of  God  (I  Cor.  vii,  7)  which  He  refuses  not 
to  those  who  ask  it  "aright" ;  nor  does  He  "sufifer"  us  "to  be  tempted 
above  that  which"  we  "are  able"  (I  Cor,  x,  13). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE  BODY  IS  TO  BE  SUBDUED 

The  body  is  to  be  exercised,  and  the  sensual  appetites  to  be  re- 
pressed not  only  by  fastings,  and  particularly  by  the  fasts  instituted 
by  holy  Church,  but  also  by  watchings,  pious  pilgrimages  and  other 
austerities.  By  these  and  other  such  penitential  observances  is  the 
virtue  of  temperance  chieflv  evinced;  and  to  this  effect  St.  Paul  writes 
thus  to  the  Corinthians:  "Fvery  one  that  striveth  for  the  mastery, 
refraineth  himself  from  all  things;  and  they  indeed  that  thev  may 
receive  a  corruptible  crown,  but  we  an  incorruptible  one"  fl  Cor. 
ix,  2.0  ;  and  a  little  after:  "I  chastize  my  body,  and  bring  it  into  sub- 
jection, lest,  perhaps,  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself  should 


CHASTITY  273 

become  reprobate"  (I  Cor.  v,  27)  ;  in  another  place:  "Make  not  pro- 
visions for  the  flesh  in  its  concupiscence"  (Rom.  xiii,  14). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

THE    MERIT    OF   CH.\STITy 

That  the  angels  are  angels  is  due  to  their  nature,  but  that  a  virgin 
is  a  virgin  is  due  to  her  virtue. — St.  Peter  Chrysologus. 

BE  WATCIiriL 

Do  not  put  confidence  into  your  present  chastity.  You  are  not 
more  saintly  than  David,  nor  wiser  than  Solomon.  Do  not  forget 
that  it  was  a  woman  who  caused  mankind  to  be  expelled  from 
paradise. — St.  Jerome. 

CHARITY  AND  CHASTITY 

Charitable  love,  and  undefiled  chastity,  are  the  two  wings  that 
carry  us  from  earth  to  Heaven. — St.  Leo  the  Great. 

PURITY,  NATURAL  AND  SUPERNATURAL 

Purity  is  a  virtue  natural  and  supernatural,  loved  by  God  and  loved 
by  man.  God  is  purity  in  its  perfection,  purity  itself.  All  that  which 
proceeds  from  the  immaculate  hands  of  God  is  immaculately  pure. 
Pure  is  the  snow  that  falls  from  Heaven,  pure  is  the  lily  that  blossoms 
in  the  fields,  pure  are  the  rays  of  the  sun  that  spread  the  purest  light, 
pure  is  the  air  on  the  mountain  tops  before  it  descends  in  the  valley. 
If  thus  the  material  creatures  reflect  the  purity  of  God,  how  much 
more  must  the  living  spiritual  images  of  God,  the  angels  and  the 
soul  of  man,  enjoy  this  gift. — C.  M.  Thuente,  O.  P. 

PURITY  SOMETHING  SACKED 

Purity,  virginity,  is  something  sacred;  something  that  touches 
every  sound  hum.an  heart,  moves  it  profoundly  and  attracts  it  forcibly. 
God  is  purity.  The  heart  of  man  is  the  image  of  God.  It  was  made 
pure  and  was  to  remain  thus  forever.  Man  may  lose  this  most 
precious  gift,  but  he  cannot  easily  lose  his  Icve  and  admiration  for  it; 
even  as  man,  created  free,  may  lose  his  liberty  but  not  his  longing 
for  liberty.  The  corrupt  pagans  in  corrupt  Rome  bowed  their  heads 
when  passing  the  vestal  virgins.  This  natural  virtue  received  a  super- 
natural splendour  and  glory  through  Jesus  Christ  and  His  blessed 
Mother. — C.  M.  Thuente,  0.  P. 

Know  you  not  that  you  are  the  Temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  dwelleth  in  you? — But  if  any  man  violate  the  Temple  of  God, 
him  shall  God  destroy.  For  the  Temple  of  God  is  holy:  which  you 
are. — I  Cor.  Ill,  16-17. 

/  would  that  all  men  were  even  as  myself:  but  every  one  hath  his 
proper  gift  from  God:  one  after  this  manner  and  another  after  that. 
— P'(t  I  say  to  the  unmarried,  and  to  the  widows:  it  is  good  for  them 
if  they  so  continue,  even  as  I. — I  Cor.  VII,  7-8. 

0  how  beautiful  is  the  chaste  generation  with  glory!  for  the  mem- 
ory thereof  is  immortal,  because  it  is  knozvn  both  with  God  and  with 


274    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

men. — When  it  is  present,  they  imitate  it:  and  they  desire  it  zuhen  it 
hath  withdrawn  itself,  and  it  triumpheth  crowned  for  ever,  winning 
ike  reward  of  undefiied  conflicts. — Wisd.  IV.  1-2. 

He  that  loveth  cleaness  of  heart,  for  the  grace  of  his  lips  shall 
have  the  King  for  his  friend. — Prov.  XXII,  11. 

OBEDIENCE 

Obedience  is  the  only  virtue  which  implants  the  other  virtues  in 
the  mind,  and  preserves  them  when  they  are  implanted.  Obedience 
is  better  than  sacrifice:  because  by  sacrifice  the  flesh  of  another  is 
immolated,  by  obedience  our  own  will  is  sacrificed  to  Almighty  God. 

— St.  Gregory. 

One  day  as  the  Blessed  Bonaventure  was  at  work  in  the  garden 
assisting  his  Superior,  someone  came  to  tell  the  latter  that  his 
presence  was  required  in  the  monastery.  This  was  in  the  early  morn- 
ing. Before  leaving  him  the  Superior  said  to  Brother  Bonaventure: 
"Remain  here  till  I  return;  I  will  not  be  absent  very  long."  But  the 
business  for  which  he  had  been  called  proved  more  serious  than  he 
had  anticipated;  it  occupied  him  till  the  evening. 

When  at  length  he  went  to  the  refectory  along  with  the  other 
religious,  he  saw  that  the  place  usually  occupied  by  Brother  Bona- 
venture was  empty.  "Where  is  Brother  Bonaventure?"  he  asked, 
"and  why  has  he  not  come  to  supper?"  "We  do  not  know  what  has 
become  of  him,"  they  answered.  "Moreover,  he  was  not  here  at 
dinner  time."  "May  God  forgive  me,"  said  the  Superior;  "perhaps 
he  may  still  be  standing  in  the  garden  in  the  place  where  I  left  him 
in  the  morning.  Go  in  haste  and  see."  They  went,  and  found  him 
there  in  the  place  where  his  Superior  had  told  him  to  remain  till  he 
should  return. 

A  young  Sister  of  Charity  was  sitting  weeping  at  the  bedside  of 
her  dying  father,  the  Count  de  Mornay.  It  was  evident  he  had  but 
a  very  short  time  to  live.  As  she  was  watching  and  praying  the  clock 
struck  the  hour  of  eight;  it  was  the  hour  when  obedience  required  her 
to  return  to  her  convent.  She  instantly  arose,  and  having  impressed 
a  farewell  kiss  on  the  brow  of  the  beloved  father,  prepared  to  take 
her  departure.  A  priest,  who  had  been  called  in  and  who  was 
kneeling  in  prayer  beside  the  dying  man,  seeing  her  about  to  depart, 
said  to  her :  "Sister,  wait  for  a  few  moments  longer,  that  you  may 
be  able  to  close  his  eyes,  for  the  end  is  near."  The  pious  sister 
answered  the  good  priest  in  these  simple  words:  "My  Father,  I  can- 
not remain  longer,  for  before  all  other  things  I  must  obey,  even 
though  it  may  cost  me  much  to  do  so.  Oh,  how  I  desire  to  be  with 
my  beloved  father  when  the  hour  has  come  for  him  to  take  his  de- 
parture to  God !  but  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  remain  longer.  The 
rule  of  our  Order  requires  me  to  return  to  the  convent  at  this  time, 
and  I  must  obey." 

All  the  good  which  a  creature  is  capable  of  doing  is  to  accomplish 
the  will  of  God,  and  we  never  accomplished  it  better  than  by  obedi- 
ence.— St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 


HOPE  275 

OBEDIENCE    MORE    IMPORTANT    THAN    EMOTION 

The  story  is  told  of  a  young  Evangelical  who  went  up  to  his 
pastor  and  asked:  "What  docs  it  feel  like  to  be  saved?"  The  pastor 
told  him  the  signs.  The  young  man  waited  and  watched  and  prayed, 
but  the  signs  never  appeared.  The  waiting  and  watching  and  praying 
indeed  ended  in  a  crisis.  The  non-appearance  of  the  Simeonite  signs 
exasperated  him.  He  said,  "it's  all  one  piece  of  humbug  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  I'm  going  to  chuck  religion."  He  did  not,  though. 
He  simply  started  in  his  own  natural  way  in  his  quest  for  the  infinite. 
He  read  somewhere  that  Religion  is  Morality  touched  with  Emotion. 
His  old-fashioned  bringing  up  gave  him  some  sort  of  scheme  of 
morality,  but  the  emotion  did  not  come — at  any  rate  for  some  time. 
But  when  it  did  come  it  was  not  the  emotion  of  buoyancy  and  peace, 
but  that  of  depression  and  care.  He  was  miserable.  He  tried  new 
tacks  all  through  life,  but  each  one  only  brought  a  new  disappoint- 
ment. Whether  he  tried  as  he  said  to  "chuck"  morality  or  to  repose 
in  philosophy,  sensible  consolation  did  not  come  to  him.  He  is  pic- 
tured as  dying  and  expecting  it  beyond  the  grave. 

In  the  Catholic  system  of  spirituality  we  are  taught  not  to  depend 
on  emotion.  Sensible  feeling  has  its  proper  place  in  religion.  The 
times  of  desolation  are  the  times  of  trial  and  purgation.  The  times 
of  consolation  are,  as  it  were,  breathing  spaces  when  the  soul  may 
gather  rest — refreshment  for  still  greater  struggles  and  conquests. 
But  the  normal  and  ordinary  life  of  the  soul  consists  in  doing  the 
Will  of  God  in  so  far  as  that  Will  is  made  known  by  Divine  Revela- 
tion and  interpreted  by  right  reason.  So  long  as  the  poor  wayfarer  is 
conscious  that  he  is  doing  the  right  thing  before  God  that  is  a  suffi- 
cient sign  to  him  that  he  is  on  the  way  of  salvation.  The  presence  or 
absence  of  emotional  experience  simply  does  not  count  as  a  sign  of 
salvation. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 


HOPE 

WHAT   IS  HOPE? 

Hope,  in  general,  is  the  well-founded  and  confident  expectation  of 
some  future  good  thing.  Moreover,  it  is  characteristic  of  hope  that 
the  thing  hoped  for  should  present  some  difficulty  of  attainment.  We 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  hope  for  a  thing  which  without  any  effort  or 
striving  is  sure  to  come  into  our  possession.  Again,  what  we  hope 
for  must  be  something  possible  of  attainment.  A  poor  workingman 
in  one  of  our  large  cities  or  a  country  labourer  will  not  look  upon 
the  idea  of  his  becoming  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias  as  one  present- 
ing any  hope  whatever  of  realization. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

Blessed  is  the  man  zuhose  trust  is  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord:  and 
who  hath  not  had  regard  to  vanities  and  lying  follies. — Ps.  XXXIX,  5 

He  that  is  good  shall  draw  grace  from  the  Lord:  but  he  that 
trusteth  in  his  own  devices  doth  wickedly. — Prov.  XII,  2. 

They  that  hope  in  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength,  they  shall 
take  wings  as  eagles,  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  they  shall  walk 
and  not  faint. — Is.  XL.  31. 


276    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

My  son,  in  they  sickness  neglect  not  thyself,  but  pray  to  the  Lord, 
and  He  shall  heal  thee.—Ecclus.  XXXVIII,  9. 

Trust  in  Him,  all  ye  congregation  of  people;  pour  out  your  hearts 
before  Him.    God  is  our  Helper  for  ever. — Ps.  LXI,  9. 

Put  not  your  trust  in  princes:  in  the  children  of  men,  in  whom 
there  is  no  salvation. — Ps.  CXLV.  2,  3. 

The  supernatural  virtue  of  hope  is  not  a  positive  assurance  of 
attaining ;  it  is  a  desire,  joined  with  confidence  and  expectation,  en- 
couraging the  soul  to  make  the  necessary  effort;  it  presupposes  that 
there  are  difficulties  to  be  surmounted,  and  it  prevents  the  soul  from 
being  cast  down  by  them. — Bishop  Bellord. 

FAITH   AND  HOPE 

It  is  my  great  consolation,  that  I  have  the  faith  that  tells  my 
reason  that  there  is  a  Heaven;  but  it  is  far  more  consoling  that  I 
have  the  hope  which  tells  my  heart  that  a  place  in  this  Heaven  is 
reserved  for  me. — St.  Bernard. 

HOPE  IN  GOD 

Men  may  turn  against  me,  sickness  may  take  away  my  strength 
and  the  means  of  serving  Thee,  I  may  even  lose  Thy  grace  by  sin, 
but  I  will  never  lose  my  hope.  I  will  keep  it  even  to  the  last  moment 
of  my  life,  and  all  the  demons  in  hell  shall  try  in  vain  to  tear  it 
from  me.  ...  In  fine,  I  am  sure  that  I  can  not  hope  too  much 
in  Thee,  and  that  I  can  not  obtain  less  than  I  hope  for  from  Thee. 
Thus  I  hope  that  Thou  wilt  uphold  me  in  the  greatest  dangers, 
protect  me  in  the  most  violent  assaults,  and  make  my  weakness 
triumph  over  my  most  formidable  enemies.  I  hope  that  Thou  wilt 
love  me  always,  and  that  I  shall  also  love  Thee  with  unfailing  love, 
and  to  carry  my  hope  at  once  as  far  as  it  can  go.  I  hope  for  Thee 
from  Thyself,  my  Creator,  both  in  time  and  in  eternity. 

— Claude  de  la  Colombiere. 

THE   EFFECTS   OF  HOPE 

When  faith  has  drawn  aside  the  veil  of  ignorance,  which  concealed 
the  Almighty  from  our  view,  it  is  incredible  with  what  ardour  the 
soul  longs  to  attain  a  knowledge  of  the  sovereign  good  which  it 
beholds  far  distant,  and  to  burst  the  bonds  of  its  natural  life.  It 
exclaims,  "As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  fountains  of  water,  so  my 
soul  panteth  after  Thee,  O  God.  My  soul  hath  thirsted  after  the 
strong,  living  God;  when  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  the  face  of 
God?"  (Ps.  xli,  1-2).  .  .  .  The  promises  of  God  produce 
a  wonderful  effect  in  our  souls;  they  diminish  and  dispel 
our  uneasiness  by  strengthening  the  cause  from  which  it  proceeds. 
This  is  an  undeniable  truth.  The  Almighty,  by  holding  out  to  us 
a  promise  of  future  happiness,  increases  our  previous  desire  of 
enjoying  it;  and  yet,  the  anxiety  attendant  on  this  desire  is  almost 


HOPE  277 

destroyed  by  the  promise.     Calm  and  content  are  diffused  into  our 
hearts  by  the  assurance  which  God  adds  to  new  desires. 

— St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

THE  DISTINCTION   BETWEEN   "HOl'ING"   AND   "ASPIRING" 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  gives  the  distinction  between  to  hope  and  to 
aspire.  He  says:  "We  hope  for  things  which  it  depends  on  others  to 
bestow,  and  which  we  can  not  procure  ourselves ;  we  aspire  to  those 
which  we  can  obtain  by  adopting  certain  measures.  It  is  chiefly 
through  the  grace  and  mercy  of  God  that  we  can  hope  for  the 
enjoyment  of  His  Divine  Majesty,  yet  He  requires  that  we  should 
correspond  with  His  grace  by  the  feeble  cooperation  of  our  consent." 

HOPE   FOR  THE   SINNER 

The  greatest  sinner  can  without  doubt  have  sure  hope  if  he  will 
only  turn  to  God  and  throw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the  infinite 
compassion  of  his  Heavenly  Father,  pleading  for  pardon  through  the 
precious  Blood  of  Jesus.  Hear  what  a  holy  soul,  Sister  Theresa  of 
the  Carmelite  Order,  known  familiarly  as  the  "Little  Flower  of 
Jesus,"  has  to  say  on  this  point.  She  was  a  soul  of  intense  purity 
and  ardent  charity,  yet  she  declares  that  even  had  she  been  a  great 
sinner,  this  would  not  have  lessened  her  confidence  in  the  great 
mercy  of  God.  "It  is  not,"  she  writes,  "because  I  have  been  preserved 
from  mortal  sin  that  I  raise  myself  up  to  God  on  the  wings  of 
confidence  and  love.  Ah,  I  feel  that  even  if  I  had  on  my  conscience 
all  the  crimes  that  could  be  committed,  I  should  not  loose  my 
confidence ;  I  should  go,  my  heart  broken  with  sorrow,  to  throw 
myself  into  the  arms  of  my  Saviour.  I  know  that  He  loves  the 
prodigal  son,  I  have  heard  His  words  to  the  Magdalene,  to  the 
adulterous  woman,  to  the  woman  of  Samaria.  No  !  no  one  should 
frighten  me,  for  I  know  how  to  rely  on  His  love  and  His  mercy. 
I  know  that  all  this  multitude  of  offenses  would  be  swallowed  up  in 
an  instant  like  a  drop  of  water  thrown  into  a  burning  brazier." 

— H.   G.  Hughes. 

DISCOURAGEMENT  NOT  FAIR  TO   GOD 

Discouragement  is  not  fair  to  God,  and  it  is  not  fair  to  ourselves. 

First,  it  is  not  fair  to  God,  for  it  is  simply  another  name  for  want 
of  confidence  in  Him,  want  of  trust  in  His  infinite  fatherly  love, 
and  in  the  unlimited  power  of  His  holy  Grace. 

And  if  we  are  wanting  in  this  confidence,  we  are  really  depriving 
God  of  some  of  the  worship  we  owe  Him,  for  we  are  bound  to 
worship  God  by  faith,  and  hope,  and  charity — and  confidence,  trust,  is 
part  of  the  Christian  virtue  of  hope.  Listen  to  some  words  written 
by  the  great  Saint,  Peter  of  Alcantara.  They  occur  in  a  small 
treatise  which  he  wrote  for  persons  aiming  at  Christian  perfection; 
and  he  is  telling  them  how  to  act  when  they  have  fallen  into  any 
fault.  After  describing  the  faults  to  which  such  persons  are  liable, 
he  says:  "Should  you  have  incurred  all  the  miseries  above  described, 
and  as  many  more  as  you  please,  one  loving  turn  of  the  soul  towards 
God  prevails  and  gains  more  than  all  the  sadness,  reflection  and 
examination  imaginable  concerning  the  fault  or  guilt,  especially  in 
venial  and  ordinary  sins."     .     .     .     "Nay,"  he  adds,  "I  will  be  bold 


278    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

to  go  further  and  affirm  that  this  loving  confidence  in  God  is 
necessary  not  only  after  venial  and  daily  sins,  but  also  after  great 
ones,  yea,  though  we  sinned  frequently  and  not  through  frailty,  but 
malice;  for  contrition  and  affliction  alone  will  not  raise  us  up  if  we 
have  not  also  this  loving  confidence  and  confiding  love  in  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  God." — H.  G.  Hughes. 

CONFIDENCE  IN  GOD 

Suppose  a  soul  to  be  heavy-laden  with  sins,  to  have  every  possible 
fault  and  every  imaginable  defect,  and  to  have  tried,  by  every  possible 
means  and  every  kind  of  spiritual  exercise,  to  forsake  sin  and  to 
practice  holiness.  We  will  suppose  this  soul  to  have  done  all  this, 
and  yet  to  have  failed  in  making  the  smallest  advance  in  holiness, 
nay,  on  the  contrary,  to  have  been  borne  the  more  strongly  towards 
evil. 

For  all  this  it  must  not  lose  its  trust  in  God,  nor  give  over  its 
conflict,  nor  lay  down  its  arms,  but  still  fight  on  resolutely,  knowing 
that  none  is  vanquished  in  this  spiritual  combat  but  he  who  ceases 
to  struggle  and  loses  confidence  in  God,  whose  succour  never  fails 
his  soldiers,  though  He  sometimes  permits  them  to  be  wounded. 
Fight  on,  then,  valiantly ;  for  on  this  depends  the  whole  issue  of  the 
strife,  for  there  is  a  ready  and  effectual  remedy  for  the  wounds  of 
all  combatants  who  look  confidently  to  God  and  to  His  aid  for  help; 
and  when  they  least  expect  it  they  shall  see  their  enemies  dead  at 
their  feet. — Qiiadnipani. 

OH,  TOU  OF  LITTLE  FAITH! 

How  can  the  penitent  be  damned  by  Him  who  died  to  save 
mankind  from  damnation  ?  How  can  the  lost  sheep  be  despised  by 
Him  who  came  to  seek  it?  You  may  say  I  realize  the  merciful  love 
of  God,  but  my  sins  are  too  numerous  and  wicked,  and  my  penitence 
is  too  weak,  how  can  I  be  saved  ?  O  !  you  of  little  faith,  do  you  not 
see  what  infinite  satisfaction  He  has  rendered  for  sin  on  the  Cross? 
If  your  vices  were  even  more  wicked,  and  your  sins  more  numerous, 
aye,  as  wicked  as  conceivable,  the  sacrifice  on  the  Cross  far  exceeds 
them. — St.   Thomas  of  Villanova. 

ST.  PHILIP  NEKI'S  TRL'ST  IN  GOD 

On  rising  from  bed  St.  Philip  Neri  used  to  say  every  morning: 
"O  Lord,  keep  thy  hand  this  day  over  Philip;  if  Thou  dost  not  Philip 
will  betray  Thee."  And  one  day  as  he  walked  through  the  city 
reflecting  on  his  own  misery,  he  frequently  said,  "I  despair,  I  despair." 
A  certain  religious  who  heard  him,  believing  that  the  Saint  was 
really  tempted  to  despair,  corrected  him,  and  encouraged  him  to  hope 
in  the  Divine  mercy.  But  the  Saint  replied,  "I  despair  of  myself, 
but  I  trust  in  God." 

PROPER  RECOURSE  TO  HUMAN  MEANS 

The  Lord  does  not  forbid  us,  in  our  afflictions  and  dangers,  to 
have  recourse  to  human  means :  but  he  curses  those  who  place  their 
whole  trust  in  them. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 


HOPE  279 

IF  GOD  DROVE! 

Two  boys  were  talking  together  of  Elijah's  ascent  in  the  chariot 
of  fire.  Said  one:  "Wouldn't  you  be  afraid  to  ride  in  such  a  chariot?" 
"No,"  said  the  other,  "not  if  God  drove  !"  God  drives  the  chariot 
of  human  progress,  and  it  mounts  as  it  advances.  God  is  in  His 
world,  and  if  we  make  sure  that  He  is  with  us  we  shall  not  be 
afraid. 

"MY  FATHER  IS  AT  THE  RUDDER'" 

A  ship  was  caught  in  a  vehement  storm.  The  waves  were  rolling 
high  and  threatened  to  engulf  the  reeling  vessel  in  its  mighty  depths. 
The  passengers  were  in  despair,  their  faces  pale  with  fear.  Only  a 
young  lad  showed  no  signs  of  alarm ;  with  calm  defiance  he  watched 
the  uproar  of  the  elements.  And,  asked  if  he  did  not  fear  the 
storm,  he  answered  with  naive  assurance :  "No,  my  father  is  at  the 
rudder !"  What  a  sublime  confidence,  what  ingenuous  trust,  of  the 
child  in  his  father!  He  fears  nothing  in  his  presence;  he  believes  in 
his  readiness  and  ability  to  help.  And  we  have  greater  reasons  for 
unlimited  confidence  in  God. — Charles  Briiehl. 

TEIE  HOPELESSNESS  OF  OUR  AGE 

Few  things  are  more  characteristic  of  our  age  than  its  hope- 
lessness, its  despair.  The  world  is  stricken  with  morbidity,  rest- 
lessness, and  discontent.  No  one  conversant  with  modern  thought 
can  fail  to  be  struck  by  the  note  of  pessimism  which  seems  to  domi- 
nate it  all.  The  air  is  full  of  passionate  cries  of  rage  and  disappoint- 
ment, cries  that  are  rich  in  menace  for  the  peaceful  continuance  of 
society.  Revolt  is  the  order  of  the  day;  and  revolt  is  like  a  drug, 
the  more  you  take  the  more  you  need,  until  the  system  is  undermined 
and  death  mercifully  supervenes.  Very  decidedly  ours  is  not  a 
joyful  age.  Its  only  idea  of  joy  is  license  and  licentiousness;  and 
it  may  be  boldly  asserted  that  the  hectic  joy  of  the  licentious  is  in 
reality  the  saddest  and  most  tragic  thing  in  the  life  of  man.  When 
all  the  sources  of  natural,  wholesome,  holy  happiness  are  exhausted, 
or  choked  or  poisoned,  then  men  crown  their  heads  with  roses,  and 
fill  their  cups  with  wine,  and  try  to  kill  the  impracticable  hours,  try 
to  chase  dull  care  and  escape  the  lawful  ennui  which  preys  upon  all 
whose  hearts  are  not  unlifted  by  some  higher  hope. 

Christianity  first  taught  men  the  secret  of  real,  abiding  happi- 
ness. It  dissipated  the  heavy  gloom  that  lay  upon  the  ancient  world. 
It  gave  life  a  meaning,  labour  a  sanctity,  poverty  a  dignity,  and 
suffering  a  sweetness.  It  did  not  put,  and  never  was  intended  to  put, 
an  end  to  the  thousand  natural  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to ;  but  it  gave 
men  motives  for  facing  these  bravely,  and  enduring  them,  not  only 
with  patience,  but  even  with  gladness.  Its  message  was  a  good 
message,  or  rather  the  good  message  of  all  time,  and  it  set  the 
hearts  of  men  pulsating  to  a  heavenly  music  quite  unknown  before. 

— P.  J.  Gannon,  S.  J. 

A  patient  man  shall  hear  for  a  time,  and  afterwards  joy  shall  be 
restored  to  him. — Ecclus.  I,  29. 


280    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  hWSTRUCTlONS 
RESIGNATION 

BE8IGNATI0N 

But  if  thou  knowest  that  it  will  be  hurtful  to  me,  artd  not  expedient 
for  the  salvation  of  my  soul,  take  away  from  me  such  a  desire. 
For  every  desire  is  not  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  though  it  seem  to  a 
man  right  and  good.  And  it  is  sometimes  hard  to  judge  truly, 
whether  it  be  a  good  or  bad  spirit  that  urges  thee  on  to  desire 
this  or  that,  or  whether  thou  art  not  moved  to  it  by  thy  own  spirit. 
Many  in  the  end  have  been  deceived,  who  at  first  seemed  to  be  led 
by  a  good  spirit. — Thomas  a  Kcinpis. 

My  son,  say  thus,  on  every  occasion:  Lord,  if  it  be  pleasing  to 
Thee  let  this  be  done  in  this  manner.  Lord,  if  it  be  to  Thy  honour 
let  this  be  done  in  Thy  name.  Lord,  if  Thou  seest  that  this  is 
expedient,  and  approvest  of  it,  as  profitable  for  me,  then  grant  that 
I  may  use  it  to  Thy  honour. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  MERIT   OF  RESIGNATION 

The  sick  sometimes  complain  that  in  sickness  they  can  do  nothing: 
but  they  err;  for  in  their  infirmities  they  can  do  all  things  by 
accepting  their  sufferings  with  peace  and  resignation.  "The  Cross 
of  Christ,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "is  the  key  of  Paradise." 

— St.  Alphonsns  Liguori. 

One  day  there  came  to  Heaven  a  little  soul  unknown  to  the 
world.  During  its  trial  on  earth  it  had  not  done  anything  extra- 
ordinary, for  it  had  occupied  an  humble  place  in  the  world,  and 
had  only  to  do  those  things  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  poor.  Yet 
the  good  God  assigned  to  it  a  very  glorious  place  in  Heaven,  and 
there  was  astonishment  among  the  great  Saints,  who,  in  their  day  of 
trial,  had  done  and  suffered  so  much  for  God.  All  looked  towards 
the  Angel  Guardian  who  had  brought  in  this  beautiful  soul.  The 
angel  bowed  before  God  to  obtain  permission  to  speak,  and  from 
his  lips  there  fell  these  words :  "This  soul,  when  on  earth,  always 
took  what  God  sent  it,  sunshine  or  toil,  sorrow  or  joy,  and  never 
complained.  Whatever  God  sent  was  always  welcome,  and  it  never 
questioned  why  He  did  what  He  did,  but  always  thought  that  God 
knew  best.  And  God,  who  knew  and  saw  every  act  of  its  life,  now 
rewards  it  with  this  great  glory." — L.  Vcuillot. 

One  act  of  resignation  to  God's  will,  in  all  that  it  has  ordained 
contrary  to  our  desires,  is  more  valuable  than  a  hundred  thousand 
sacrifices  conformable  to  our  own  will  and  taste. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul: 

But  they  that  love  Jesus  for  Jesus'  sake,  and  not  for  any  comfort 
of  their  own,  bless  Him  no  less  in  tribulation  and  anguish  of  heart 
than  in  the  greatest  consolation. 

And  if  He  should  never  give  them  His  comfort,  yet  would  they 
always  praise  Him,  and  give  ITim  thanks. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 


RESIGNATION  281 

QOD'S  WILL  IS  DONE 

Those  who  in  certain  affairs  find  it  difficult  to  say  sincerely  "Thy 
will  be  done,"  may  find  a  help  in  saying  "Thy  will  is  done." 

//  is  the  Lord:  let  Him  do  zi'hat  is  good  in  His  siglit. 

—I  Kings  III,  i8. 

SJw'l  not  my  soul  be  subject  to  God?  for  from  Him  is  my  salva- 
tion.— Ps.  LXI,"2. 

If  thou  lose  hope  being  weary  in  the  day  of  distress,  thy  strength 
shall  be  diminished. — Prov.  XXIV,  lo. 

/  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  remember  how  I  have  walked  before 
Thee  in  truth  and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  have  done  that  which  is 
pleasing  before   Thee. — IV  Kings  XX,   3. 

Teach  me  to  do  Thy  will,  for  Thou  art  my  God.  Thy  Good  Spirit 
shall  lead  me  into  the  right  Land. — Ps.  CXLII,  10. 

Good  things  and  evil,  life  and  death,  poverty  and  riches,  are  from 
God. — Ecclus.  XI,  14. 

//  any  man  come  to  Me,  and  hate  not  his  father,  and  mother, 
and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea  and  his  own 
life  also,  he  cannot  be  My  disciple. — Liikc  XIV,  26. 

PATIE>XE  IN  PERSECUTION 

St.  Bernardine  was  one  day,  according  to  the  rules  of  his  Order, 
passing  along  the  streets  of  Siena  collecting  alms  for  his  monastery. 
He  was  accompanied  by  one  of  his  brethren.  Some  wicked  men, 
who  met  the  good  religious,  took  up  stones  and  threw  them  at  them. 
His  companion  was  very  much  grieved  at  this  cruel  treatment,  and 
asked  the  Saint  to  speak  to  them  so  that  they  might  go  away.  But 
he  gaily  answered:  "Oh  no,  my  brother;  let  them  torment  us  as  long 
as  they  please;  they  are  teaching  us  how  to  practice  the  great  virtue 
of  meekness,  and  are  giving  us  an  opportunity  of  gaining  much 
merit  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  by  our  patience." 

BEARING  PERSECUTION  FOR  THE  S.IKE  OF  CHRIST 

St.  Vincent  of  Paul  was  frequently  calumniated,  but  he  never  tried 
to  justify  himself.  One  of  the  priests  under  his  care  said  to  him  one 
day,  when  some  person  had  spoken  untruly  of  him:  "Father,  why  do 
you  not  justify  yourself,  since  you  are  so  falsely  accused?"  "My 
brother,"  was  his  reply,  "I  will  try  to  justify  myself  by  my  works, 
but  never  by  my  words." 

Another  day,  when  he  was  speaking  to  the  Queen,  she  told  him 
that  he  had  been  accused  to  her  of  a  certain  fault  of  which  she  knew 
that  he  could  not  be  guilty.  The  Saint,  without  the  least  sign  of 
disappointment,  said:  "Madam,  I  know  I  am  a  great  sinner."  "But 
you  are  innocent  of  this  sin ;  why,  then,  do  you  not  endeavour  to 


282    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  L\STRUCT10NS 

justify  yourself?"  St.  Vincent  answered:  "Jesus  Christ  was  calum- 
niated more  than  I  have  been,  yet  He  did  not  try  to  justify  Himself, 
neither  will  I." 

Whatsoever  shall  befall  the  just  man,  it  shall  not  make  him  sad: 
but  the  micked  shall  be  filled  with  mischief. — Prov.  XH,  21. 

The  God  of  all  grace,  who  hath  called  iis  unto  His  Eternal  Glory 
in  Christ  Jesus,  after  you  h<ive  suffered  a  little,  will  Himself  perfect 
you,  and  confirm  yon  and  establish  you.  To  Him  be  glory  and 
empire  for  ever  and  ever,  amen. — I  Peter  V,  10. 

/  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  glory  to  come,  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us. 

—Rom.  Will,  18. 

Blessed  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth:  refuse  not  therefore  the 
chastizing  of  the  Lord. — Job  V,  17. 

They  that  did  not  receive  the  trials  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  but 
uttered  their  impatience  and  the  reproach  of  their  murmuring  against 
the  Lord, — Were  destroyed  by  the  destroyer,  and  perished  by  serpents. 

—Judith   Vin,   24-25. 

I  will  chastise  thee  in  judgment  that  thou  mayst  not  seem  to  thy- 
self innocent. — Jer.  XXX,  11. 


ADVERSITIES 

AFFLICTIONS 

If  you  were  walking  toward  the  brink  of  an  abyss,  and  some  one 
were  to  roughly  seize  you  and  fiing  you  to  the  earth,  his  action, 
though  startlingly  rude  and  apparently  hostile,  would  be  a  real  kind- 
ness. If  you  were  entering  a  train  which  you  thought  was  going  to 
your  home,  but  which  would  in  reality  take  you  hundreds  of  miles 
away  from  it,  any  one  who  should  lay  hold  of  you  and  prevent  you 
from  so  doing  would  be  rightly  regarding  you  as  a  friend  and  not 
as  an  enemy.  If  you  were  about  to  sign  a  deed  that  would  utterly 
ruin  your  worldly  prospects,  and  one  who  knew  this  were  to  strike  the 
pen  from  your  hand,  you  would  be  profuse  in  your  thanks.  Now 
these  are  the  benefits  which  God  confers  upon  you  by  sending  you 
these  apparent  evils.  Therefore,  do  not  regard  them  as  evils,  but 
as  blessings  in  disguise.  Consequently,  never  murmur  against  them. 
This  must  be  your  earnest  resolve.  You  do  not  murmur  against  those 
who  give  you  wise  but  unpalatable  advice.  It  is  disagreeable  at  first, 
but  your  good  sense  eventually  approves  of  it,  and  you  accept  it. 
Lastly,  you  must  never  say,  "Why  does  God  afflict  me  so?"  Compared 
with  God,  you  are  but  as  a  child  compared  with  its  parents.  A  child 
often  cries,  laments,  and  it  is  grievously  troubled  because  it  is  not 
allowed  to  do  what  it  pleases — to  play,  for  instance,  with  fire,  to 
handle  a  razor,  to  eat  what  would  be  injurious.    The  parents  see  the 


ADVERSITIES  283 

danger  and  prevent  it;  the  child,  however,  is,  for  the  moment,  grieved; 
but  it  is  saved  from  wounds,  from  sickness,  perhaps  from  death.  By 
acting  thus  you  will  be  led  on  a  safe  path  to  the  heavenly  kingdom, 
and  there,  in  the  fruition  of  eternal  beatitude,  you  will  thank  God  for 
sending  you  these  blessings  in  disguise,  blessings  which  have  arrested 
you  in  a  career  that  might  have  ended  disastrously,  which  have  led 
you  to  an  intimate  union  with  your  God,  and  caused  you  to  practice 
virtues  which  He  will  crown  with  the  never-fading  glory  of  Heaven. 

—P.  C.  Doyle,  O.  S.B. 

Thou,  My  servant  Jacob,  fear  not,  saith  the  Lord:  because  I  am 
with  thee,  for  I  will  consume  all  the  nations  to  which  I  have  cast  thee 
out:  but  thee  I  vAll  not  consume,  but  I  will  correct  thee  in  judgment, 
neither  will  I  spare  thee  as  if  thou  wert  innocent. — Jer.  XLVI,  28. 

My  son,  reject  not  the  correction  of  the  Lord:  and  do  not  faint 
when  thou  art  chastized  by  Him. — For  whom  the  Lord  loveth,  He 
chastizeth:  and  as  a  father  in  the  son  He  pleaseth  Himself. 

— Prov.  Ill,  11-12. 

SUFFER  WITH  CHRIST 

Christ  was  also  in  this  world  despised  by  men,  and  in  His  greatest 
necessity  forsaken  by  His  acquaintances  and  friends,  in  the  midst  of 
reproaches.  Christ  would  suffer  and  be  despised;  and  dost  thou  dare 
to  complain  of  any  one? — Thomas  d  Kempis. 

Oh,  friend,  what  is  there  that  can  happen  to  you  that  your  Saviour 
did  not  suffer  before  you?  Is  it  slander?  He  heard  it,  when  He  was 
called  a  glutton,  a  drunkard,  a  heretic,  and  a  rebel,  a  companion  of 
sinners,  one  possessed  by  the  devil. — St.  Augustine. 

LIFE  NOT  COIPLETE  WITHOUT  THE  CROSS  OF  SACRIFICE 

As  one  stands  in  the  city  of  Cologne  and  looks  up  at  that  world- 
famed  cathedral,  he  is  at  first  impressed  with  the  feeling  that  there 
is  something  about  the  beautiful  pile  that  is  not  finished.  As  the  eye 
follows  the  work  upward  from  the  base,  taking  in  the  solid  blocks 
first  one  and  then  another,  and  then  examines  the  beautiful  tracery  so 
delicately  wrought  and  so  richly  displayed,  one  feels  that  there  is  an 
incompleteness  about  it  all;  until,  standing  farther  off,  the  whole 
structure,  seen,  as  it  were  at  a  single  glance,  presents  a  union  of  all 
the  parts,  and  our  sense  of  finished  beauty  is  satisfied.  Instinctively 
the  eyes  of  the  beholder  creep  up  from  one  incompleteness  to  another, 
till  they  rest  upon  the  all-surmounting  cross. 

No  life  is  made  complete  till  it  is  surrounded  by  the  cross  of 
sacrifice,  which  is  the  symbol  of  love. 

OTHERS  SUFFER  MORE  THAN  YOU! 

Solon,  the  pagan  sage  of  Athens,  once  had  a  friend  who  was  deeply 
distressed  by  misfortune  that  had  struck  him.  Solon  took  the  friend 
to  the  peak  of  a  mountain  overlooking  Athens  and  thus  spoke  to  him: 
"My  friend,  I  duly  appreciate  that  you  have  good  reason  for  sorrow, 
but  remember  you  are  not  the  only  one  afflicted  with  misery.  Be- 
hold this  city  and  its  many  dwellings  !     How  much  misery  and  sad- 


284    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

ness  is  within  them  in  comparison  to  which  your  adversities  are  but 
small.  Calm  yourself,  therefore,  and  remember  that  you  are  neither 
the  first  nor  the  only  one  who  is  made  to  suffer."  The  friend  appre- 
ciated the  truth  of  these  words  and  went  forth  resigned  to  his  fate. 

AFFLICTION  BRINGS  GRACE 

And  the  more  the  flesh  is  brought  down  by  affliction,  the  more 
the  spirit  is  strengthened  by  inward  grace. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE   CROSS   EVERYWHERE 

Thou  canst  not  escape  it,  whithersoever  thou  runnest;  for 
whithersoever  thou  goest,  thou  carriest  thyself  with  thee,  and  shalt 
always  find  thyself. 

Turn  thyself  upw.irds,  or  turn  thyself  downwards;  turn  thyself 
without,  or  turn  thyself  within  thee,  and  everywhere  thou  shalt  find 
the  Cross. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

AFFLICTIONS   A   BLESSING 

When  we  receive  the  afflictions  which  God  sends  us,  with  entire 
and  perfect  resignation,  they  become  great  blessings  in  our  regard 
as  conformity  to  God's  will  is  an  advantage  far  superior  to  all 
temporal  gains. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

If  the  world  hate  you,  know  ye,  that  it  hath  hated  Me  before  you. 

—John  XV,   i8. 

JO^   IN  AFFLICTION 

All  through  the  Christian  ages,  the  miraculous  paradox  of 
transcendent  joy  amid  great  afflictions  is  presented  by  the  servants 
of  God.  When  the  young  mother,  St.  Perpetua,  returned  to  her 
prison  from  the  judgment  seat  where  she  had  heard  her  condemna- 
tion, she  wrote :  "Our  sentence  is  that  we  are  to  he  exposed  to  wild 
beasts,  and  we  have  come  back  to  our  prisons  with  our  hearts 
thrilling  with  joy."  St.  Francis  Xavicr,  amid  his  wanderings  and 
his  poverty,  his  unceasing  labors  and  his  feeble  health,  says:  "I 
prayed  to  God  to  restrain  the  overflowing  fullness  of  the  joy  that 
constantly  overflow  my  soul."  And  again  and  again  the  poor 
ragged  wanderer,  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  exclaims  at  the  goodness  of 
God  and  the  joys  that  overwhelm  his  heart. — Francis  Harvey. 

HUMAN   SORROW  A  MEANS  OF   PERFECTION 

Our  Lord  showed  Divine  wisdom  in  not  abolishing  sorrow,  in 
making  sorrow  of  some  sort  part  of  the  experience  of  every  man. 
For  it  is  human  sorrow  which  strengthens  our  character,  hardens 
our  resolution,  elevates  our  purpose  in  life,  and  broadens  our 
sympathies.  The  man  who  has  not  had  his  character  strengthened, 
his  resolution  hardened,  his  purpose  in  life  elevated,  his  sympathies 
broadened,  is  but  the  outward  semblance  of  a  man ;  he  is  a  mere 
human  butterfly,  fluttering  aimlessly  about  from  flower  to  flower 
as  long  as  the  sunshine  lasts,  and  swept  helplessly  away  by  the  first 
rain  cloud  that  bursts  over  him.  It  would  have  been  a  poor  service 
to  humanity  to  have  abolished  that  which  more  than  anything  else 
serves  to  perfect  human  nature. — W.  D.  Strappini,  S.  J. 


ADVERSITIES  285 

The  souls  of  the  just  are  in  the  hand  of  God,  and  the  torment 
of  death  shall  not  touch  them. — In  the  sight  of  the  unwise  they 
seemed  to  die:  and  their  departure  zvas  taken  for  misery. — And  their 
going  aivay  from  us,  for  utter  destruction :  but  they  are  iti  peace. — 
And  though  in  the  sight  of  men  they  suffered  torments,  their  hope 
is  full  of  immortality. — IVisd.  Ill,  1-4. 

A  grievous  sickness  maketh  the  soul  sober. — Ecclns.  XXXI,  2. 

Come  to  Me,  all  you  that  labour,  and  are  burdened,  and  I  will 
refresh  you. — Matt.  XI,  28. 

Through  many  tribulations  we  must  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
God.— Acts.  XIV,  21. 

All  that  the  Father  giveth  Me  shall  come  to  Me;  and  him  that 
Cometh  to  Me  I  will  not  cast  out. — John  VI,  37. 

SUFFERING    VVHOLESOMK 

The  Almighty,  in  sending  us  suffering,  whether  little  or  great,  is 
only  doing  to  us  that  which  we  take  care  to  do  to  our  own  children. 
How  foolish  would  the  conduct  of  an  adult  be  who,  so  soon  as 
the  tears  of  a  child  begin  to  flow  at  a  task  set  him  at  school,  concludes 
that  all  schools  are  places  of  torture  and  that  they  who  insist  on 
seeing  that  their  little  ones  are  educated  must  be  without  any  of  the 
milk  of  human  kindness.  We  know  that  the  lad  who  daily  has  to 
submit  to  the  routine  of  school  life  has  very  decided  views  to  the 
effect  that  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  is  a  painful  matter  in  the 
process.  In  case  of  the  dull  scholar  is  becames  even  worse  than 
painful. — John  Freeland. 

SUFFERrVO 

There  are  two  possible  ways,  either  you  are  righteous  and 
tested,  or  you  are  a  sinner  and  then  you  suffer  less  than  you 
ought  to. — St.  Jerome. 

PATIENCE  IN  SUFFERING 

Of  St.  Philip  Neri  it  is  said  that  in  his  last  and  painful  illness  he 
used  to  say  frequently:  "Dear  Lord,  increase  my  pain  but  also  my 
patience." 

THE  WORLDI-V  VIEW  OF  SUFFERING 

The  view  current  in  the  world  about  suffering  is  misleading  and 
dangerous,  it  is  both  irrational  and  irreligious.  It  may  lead  men  to 
make  more  strenuous  efforts  to  overcome  suffering,  but  it  makes 
them  less  capable  of  enduring  it,  and  perhaps  causes  their  efforts 
to  be  misdirected  and  wasted.  The  world  puts  suffering  in  the  place 
that  belongs  to  sin,  regarding  it  as  the  supreme  evil  to  be  combated 
at  any  cost,  as  the  great  enemy  of  mankind,  as  a  thing  in  which  there 
is  no  particle  of  good  or  any  mitigating  circumstances.  The  things 
that  the  world  values  and  seeks  are  ease,  pleasure,  refinement,  abun- 
dance, sweetness  and  light,  and  so  on.     What  place  have  pain  and 


286    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

want  in  such  a  scheme  of  life  as  this?  What  need  is  there,  for  the 
world's  purposes,  of  virtues  such  as  patience,  resignation,  meekness, 
contentment,  faith  ?  It  does  not  want  to  know  about  suffering  or  to 
make  provision  for  it.  If  any  fall  under  the  dominion  of  sorrow,  let 
them  drop  out  of  the  general  stream  of  life  and  suffer  silently  without 
obtruding  on  the  enjoyment  of  others. — Bishop  Bellord. 

OCR  STRENGTH  IN  SCrTERINO 

There  is  not  one  of  us,  however  weak  and  timid  he  may  be,  who, 
if  called  upon  to  pass  through  the  furnaces  of  trial,  cannot  do  so  with 
a  song  of  triumph  on  his  lips,  because  the  joy  of  God's  service  is 
welling  in  our  hearts.  It  is  narrated  that  when  a  community  of  nuns, 
in  Paris,  during  the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution,  which  included 
innocence  and  purity  in  its  destruction  of  crime  and  oppression,  were 
condemned  to  the  guillotine,  the  young  sisters  passed  through  the 
storm-swept  streets,  where  terror  reigned  supreme,  to  the  place  of 
their  doom,  raising  in  serene  voices  the  sublime  hymn,  "Veni  Creator 
spiritus"  ("Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Creator  blest").  Never  before,  the 
listeners  thought,  had  that  anthem  of  majestic  praise  been  so  Divinely 
sung, — so  much  as  if  the  chant  of  Heaven  itself  had  floated  down  and 
mingled  with  the  melody.  The  celestial  song  did  not  cease  when  they 
ascended  the  stairs  of  the  scaffold  and  the  work  of  butchery  went  on. 
Voice  after  voice  had  to  drop  from  the  chorus  as  face  after  face 
bent  under  the  axe ;  and  at  length  one  voice  was  heard  alone  sustain- 
ing the  holy  strain,  with  no  faltering  or  cadence,  even  while  the  bloody 
blade  fell  and  sealed  the  last  martyr's  testimony.  Over  scaffolds  and 
through  blood,  beset  by  slow  sufferings  and  sharp  tortures,  may  be 
the  march  of  the  army  of  the  Lord,  but  we  will  be  sustained  by  the 
rations  of  His  joy,  and  look  gladly  forward  to  His  promised  gift  when 
the  night  cometh  and  we  lay  down  our  arms  in  the  camp  of  Heaven. 

— Francis  Harvey. 

ADVERSITY 

Does  a  physician  prescribe  bitter  medicine  to  the  patient  out  of 
hatred?     No  he  only  hates  the  sickness. — St.  Augustine. 

The  living  fish  swims  against  the  tide,  a  dead  fish  floats  with 
the  tide.  This  may  be  applied  to  the  spiritual  life  or  spiritual  death 
of  man. — St.  Augustine. 

The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  shall  coine  into  Sion 
with  praise,  and  everlasting  joy  slmll  be  upon  their  heads:  they  shall 
obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  mourning  shall  flee  a^cay. 

—Is.  XXXV,  ID. 

God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes,  and  death  sIuiH  be 
no  more,  nor  mourning,  nor  crying,  nor  sorrow  shall  be  any  more, 
for  the  former  things  are  passed  away. — Apoc.  XXI,  4. 

If  any  man  zvill  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take 
up  his  cross  and  follow  Me. — Matt.  XVI,  24. 


ADVERSITIES  287 

ADVERSITY   MA>'irEST8   VIRTUE 

A  good  pilot  proves  himself  in  a  tempest;  a  good  soldier  on  the 
battle-field ;  a  good  Christian  in  adversity. — St.  Cyprian. 

THE  USES  OF  ADVERSITY 

Sufferings  and  adversities  are  an  excellent  and  beneficial  remedy, 
but  they  may  also  be  turned  into  poison.  To  the  faithful  Israelites 
the  rivers  of  Egypt  yielded  pure  water,  whereas  the  Egyptians  found 
nothing  but  blood  in  them ;  though  they  were  the  same  rivers  yet 
they  yielded  different  things  to  different  people. 

— St.  John  of  the  Cross. 

TRIALS 

There  was  once  a  holy  man,  who  spent  his  life  in  the  midst  of 
great  spiritual  consolations.  He  was  always  happy,  and  seemed  to 
have  none  of  those  temptations  which  are  so  common  in  this  world. 
One  day  he  was  reading  the  holy  Scriptures,  and  saw  there  that 
Jesus  Christ  had  said  that  if  we  desire  to  be  His  disciples,  we 
must  take  up  our  cross  and  follow  Him.  "I  have  no  crosses,"  he 
said ;  "I  never  had  any.  I  seem  to  be  living  more  like  the  angels 
of  God  in  Heaven  than  like  one  on  trial  on  earth.  O  my  God,"  he 
cried  out,  "  take  away  from  me  these  favours  Thou  art  daily  heaping 
upon  me,  if  Thou  seest  that  I  shall  be  more  pleasing  to  Thee  without 
them."  God  heard  his  prayer.  For  the  next  five  years  he  was 
continually  tormented  with  temptations,  and  during  all  that  time 
he  received  no  consolations  from  Heaven.  In  his  prayers,  too,  he 
felt  no  fervour,  and  his  life  was  embittered  by  continual  sorrow. 
One  day  as  he  was  weeping  bitterly  over  his  sad  condition  two 
angels  appeared  to  him.  "God  has  sent  us  to  console  you,"  they 
said.  "He  is  pleased  with  what  you  have  done  for  Him,  and  if  you 
so  desire  it,  He  will  put  an  end  to  all  your  afflictions,  and  give 
you  back  again  the  peaceful  happiness  of  former  days."  But  he 
answered:  "No;  I  do  not  desire  any  consolation.  It  is  enough  for 
me  that  the  holy  Will  of  God  be  accomplished  in  me ;  I  seek  nothing 
else."  The  angels  then  left  him.  To  the  end  of  his  long  life  he 
had  to  endure  the  same  afflictions  and  the  same  bitter  trials.  But  now 
they  are  all  ended,  and  he  is  with  God  in  Heaven,  in  possession 
of  that  eternal  joy  which  God  has  promised  to  all  who  do  His  holy 
Will  on  earth. 

A  father  had  a  child  whom  he  loved  with  all  the  tenderness  of 
a  father's  heart.  The  child  became  very  ill,  and  the  physician 
ordered  some  very  bitter  medicine  to  be  given  him.  The  child 
refused  to  take  it  because  it  was  so  bitter,  but  his  father  commanded 
him  to  take  it,  and  even  used  force  to  compel  him  to  swallow  it. 
A  neighbour,  who  heard  the  cries  of  the  child,  came  into  the  house, 
and  saw  the  father  administering  the  medicine.  "Oh,  cruel  man !" 
he  cried  out,  "take  pity  on  the  child.  Do  not  make  him  suffer 
in  that  way."  But  the  father  turned  towards  him  and  said  with 
anger:  "Be  silent!  Do  you  think  that  I  would  cause  my  darling 
child  to  suffer  in  this  way  if  it  were  not  for  his  good,  and  necessary  for 


28S    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

his  recovery?     No;  it  is  because  I  love  him  so  dearly  that  I  am 
forcing  him  to  do  what  is  so  disagreeable." 

It  is  in  this  way  that  our  Heavenly  Father  treats  us  when  He 
sends  us  trials,  for  it  is  one  of  the  surest  signs  that  He  loves  us. 

THE   DIVINE  EXAMPLE 

Let  us  frequently  call  to  mind  that  as  our  Lord  has  saved  us  by 
patient  sufferings,  so  we  also  ought  to  work  out  our  salvation  by 
sufferings  and  afflictions;  enduring  injuries  and  contradictions  with 
all  possible  meekness. — St.  Francis  dc  Sales. 

THE    TREASURE   IN   THE   CROSS 

There  is  a  tender  and  beautiful  story,  which  tells  of  the  inherit- 
ance of  a  vi^ooden  cross  by  a  poor  French  girl,  raised  by  a  noble 
lady,  who,  at  death,  in  bequeathing  her  treasures  to  her  friends,  left 
the  girl  the  cross  over  which  she  had  always  prayed.  It  was  a  cross 
of  carved  wood,  not  particularly  beautiful,  but  to  the  tender  heart  of 
that  girl  associated  with  her  benefactress's  love  and  character.  And 
so  she  took  it  thankfully,  and,  as  she  had  seen  the  lady  do,  she  prayed 
over  that  wooden  cross.  It  was  in  the  later  years  of  her  life,  when 
misfortune  had  come  upon  her  family,  when  her  husband  had  been 
stricken  helpless  upon  a  bed  of  disease,  her  children  had  met  with 
illness,  and  the  household  had  grown  very  poor,  so  that  there  was 
no  comfort  and  hardly  the  means  to  live  before  them,  little  after 
little  their  prosperity  had  gone,  and  the  ease  of  their  life  had  been 
withdrawn,  that  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  she  had  no  treasure  but  that 
cross.  As  she  prayed  over  it  one  day,  her  tears  mingling  with  her 
prayers,  the  cross  broke  open.  She  had  touched  some  secret  spring, 
and  lo !  it  was  but  a  wooden  casket  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  and  inside, 
blazing  with  splendour,  and  of  almost  priceless  value,  lay  a  cross  of 
diamonds  and  gold. 

The  crosses  which  we  sometimes  inherit  and  which  seem  so  hard 
to  bear,  often  have  hidden  within  them  the  greatest  treasures  of  life 
and  eternity. 

THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  CONSOLATION 

"They  shall  be  comforted."  But  that  comforting  is  so  far  away. 
What  will  become  of  us  in  this  long  weary  life?  Will  it  be  all 
misery?  Nothing  to  cheer  us  and  gladden  our  days?  No  immediate 
solace?  Only  pale  hope  of  some  future  reward?  It  seems  all  so 
discouraging,  so  cheerless,  so  dreary  !  My  friends,  it  is  not  that  way. 
In  the  midst  of  the  waters  of  bitterness  will  gush  forth  a  sweet 
fountain  of  consolation.  As  the  thornbush  has  its  blossoms,  so  the 
very  misfortunes  of  life  bring  with  them  their  own  sweet  joys.  St. 
Chrysostom  already  has  answered  the  impatient  query  of  the  down- 
cast sufferer  in  this  very  same  way:  "Where  shall  they  be  comforted? 
Tell  me.  Both  here  and  there.  For  since  the  thing  enjoined  was 
exceeding  burdensome  and  galling.  He  promised  to  give  that  which 
most  of  all  made  it  light.  For  when  God  doth  comfort,  though  sor- 
rows come  upon  thee  by  thousands  like  snowflakes,  thou  wilt  be 
above  them  aH"(//o»i.  on  St.  Matt.,  xv.  4). — Charles  Bruchl. 


GOOD   WORKS  289 

GOOD   WORKS 

THE  BEXEFIT  DERIVED  FROM  GOOD  WORKS 

A  monk  one  day  thus  addressed  his  superior:  "What  is  the  use 
of  my  going  to  hear  sermons?  I  can  never  recall  what  has  been 
said."  In  order  to  convince  him  that  he  always  gained  some  benefit 
from  what  he  heard,  the  superior  commanded  him  to  take  one  of 
two  baskets  and  bring  him  water  from  the  river.  The  monk  was 
much  surprised,  but  nevertheless  he  obeyed  without  a  murmur.  Three 
times  the  command  was  repeated,  and  three  times  the  holy  man  re- 
turned with  the  basket  as  empty  as  before.  Then  the  superior  asked 
him  what  difference  he  detected  between  the  basket  he  had  tried  to  fill 
with  water  and  the  one  that  had  been  left  untouched.  "None,"  replied 
the  monk,  "except  that  the  one  I  carried  to  the  river  looks  cleaner 
than  the  other."  "Just  so,"  answered  the  superior;  "as  the  basket, 
despite  the  fact  that  it  could  not  retain  the  water,  became  cleaner, 
so  your  soul,  though  perhaps  unable  to  retain  all  the  instruction  you 
have  received,  yet  derives  benefit  from  every  sermon." 

— Frederick   Renter. 

DCTENTIOX   ALL-I3IP0RTANT 

There  is  an  ancient  legend  relating  how  to  a  sick  boy  there  ap- 
peared one  night  an  angel,  standing  by  the  boy's  bedside.  The  child 
was  not  in  the  least  afraid,  for  the  angel  appeared  in  a  gentle  form 
and  said  to  him:  "My  little  playfellow,  what  will  you  give  me  if  I 
cure  your  sickness?"  The  lad,  thinking  what  was  his  most  precious 
treasure,  said,  "I  will  give  you  my  ten  marbles."  The  angel  smiled 
and  said,  "For  that  I  will  gladly  make  you  well";  and  in  the  morning 
the  fever  vanished,  and  the  boy  rose  and  went  forth  to  his  play,  per- 
fectly restored. 

The  treasures  which  we  offer  up  to  God  are  not  estimated  for 
their  intrinsic  value,  but  for  what  they  seem  worth  to  us. 

A  certain  priest,  belonging  to  a  religious  Order,  had  acquired 
great  fame  by  the  learned  books  he  had  written.  One  day,  a  lay 
brother  approached  him  and  said  "Oh,  dear  father,  what  great  reward 
will  be  yours  in  Heaven  on  account  of  the  great  good  which  your 
beautiful  books  are  doing,"  but  the  priest  said  to  him:  "Dear  brother, 
on  judgment  day  the  work  I  do  with  my  books  and  the  work  you  do 
with  your  broom  will  have  the  same  value,  as  long  as  we  both  do 
the  work  for  the  greater  honour  of  God.  Indeed,  if,  in  sweeping, 
your  intention  and  devotion  was  more  perfect  and  more  pleasing  to 
God  than  my  intention  and  devotion  in  writing  books,  your  reward 
will  be  greater  than  the  one  I  can  hope  for." 

It  is  related  that  a  great  Saint  was  one  day  playing  a  game  of 
ball.  In  the  midst  of  the  game  one  of  his  companions  said:  "I  wonder 
what  we  would  do  if  we  were  to  die  this  minute."  One  answered: 
"I  would  kneel  down  and  say  my  prayers."  Another  said:  "I  would 
immediately  go  to  Confession."  A  third  ventured  "I  would  run  to 
the  nearest  church."  As  it  was  now  the  Saint's  turn  to  speak,  he 
smilingly  said:  "And  I  would  just  go  en  with  my  game."  The  others 
exclaimed  in  surprise :  "Oh  !  father,  how  could  you  prepare  yourself 


290    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

to  die  that  way?"  But  the  Saint  quietly  made  answer:  "I  began  this 
game  with  the  intention  of  pleasing  God,  and,  therefore,  I  am  doing 
what  is  most  agreeable  to  Him." — Frederick  Reciter. 

In  the  convent  where  St.  Gertrude  lived  there  were  many  pious 
young  ladies  who  were  always  busy  at  work,  and  did  much  more  than 
St.  Gertrude,  who  was  not  strong  in  body.  But  the  Saint  gained 
more  merit  before  God  for  the  little  she  did  than  all  the  others,  al- 
though they  did  more.  The  reason  of  this  was  because  she  did  every- 
thing for  the  love  of  God,  while  they  did  many  of  their  actions  from 
some  other  motive.  So  they  lost  their  reward  for  them ;  for  God 
does  not  give  any  recompense  for  anything  that  is  not  done  for  Him. 

LITTLE  WORKS  COUXT 

My  children,  perhaps  you  will  never  have  it  in  your  power  to  do 
great  works  for  God,  but  little  ones  you  can  perform  every  day  of 
your  lives.  He  who  lays  a  brick  upon  a  building,  each  succeeding 
day,  will  soon  complete  a  large  house.  Do  some  good,  therefore, 
every  moment  of  your  lives. — St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

THE  RUSE   OF  THE   DEVIL 

The  devil  will  often  endeavour  to  hinder  us  from  doing  a  good 
work  by  suggesting  one  which  is  greater,  but  in  the  end,  by  means 
of  fresh  obstacles,  he  will  manage  to  prevent  its  accomplishment. 

— St.  Ignatius. 

GOD  REQUIRES  OUR  ENDEAVOUR 

God  docs  not  require  bodily  strength  from  us,  but  a  sincere  dis- 
position to  seize  the  opportunities  of  serving  Him  according  to  His 
will  and  His  designs  in  our  regard.  He  requires  a  real  desire  of 
suffering,  even  martyrdom  if  it  were  His  good  pleasure. 

— St.   Vincent  de  Paul. 

VAIN  COMPLACENCY  IN  DOING  GOOD 

Vain  complacency  is  the  poison  of  good  works  if  it  enter  into 
them.  It  is  a  plague  which  infects  the  most  holy  actions,  and  makes 
us  speedily  forget  God.  It  is  a  vice  most  fatal  to  all  progress  in  the 
spiritual  life  and  perfection. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

THE  FORCE  OF   EXAIMPLE 

We  all  of  us,  I  suppose,  know  how  much  personal  influence  can 
effect.  We  are  instinctively  swayed  by  the  actions  or  examples  of 
those  with  whom  we  live.  The  man  or  woman  of  strong  character 
can  change  for  good  or  evil  the  whole  current  of  our  lives.  The  con- 
stant cheap  sneer  at  goodness,  humility,  or  faith;  the  open  revolt 
against  the  laws  of  morality  or  of  religion;  the  unblushing  selfishness, 
the  thirst  for  drink  or  the  passion  for  money  or  applause,  that  we 
see  around  us,  drive  us  unconsciously  to  imitation;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  thanks  be  to  God !  the  lives  of  devotion  and  meekness, 
purity  and  unselfishness,  humility,  and  unobtrusive,  though  untiring 
goodness,  child-like  faith  and  trust ;  such  lives,  led  by  thousands,  both 
inside  and  outside  the  visible  Church,  mould  and  influence  (who  can 
doubt  it?)  the  actions  and  characters  of  multitudes  whom  they  have 
never  known. — IV.  R.  Carson. 


PRAYER  291 

An  old  general  was  one  day  asked  by  a  friend,  how  it  was  that 
after  spending  so  many  years  in  camp,  he  yet  persevered  in  fre- 
quent Communion.  His  friend  deemed  camp  life  not  conducive  to 
the  upbuilding  of  religious  principles.  But  the  general  answered, 
"My  friend,  would  you  believe  that  the  strangest  thing  of  it  all  is 
that  my  conversion  was  brought  about  before  I  ever  heard  the  word 
of  a  priest?  When  my  campaign  was  over,  God  gave  me  a  pious 
wife  whose  faith  I  respected  but  did  not  share.  Before  I  married 
her,  she  was  a  member  of  the  Sodality  of  the  Children  of  Mary  in 
her  parish,  and  I  noticed  that,  no  matter  what  she  was  writing,  she 
never  failed  to  add  to  her  signature  'Child  of  Mary.'  After  our 
marriage,  she  never  took  it  upon  herself  to  lecture  me  about  God, 
but  she  did  not  cease  her  prayers,  nevertheless.  Night  and  morning 
saw  her  on  her  knees,  and  when  she  came  home  from  Mass  on 
Sundays,  there  was  a  quiet  sweetness  about  her,  so  that  to  me  she 
seemed  like  an  angel.  Suddenly  I  myself  was  attracted  by  the  God 
she  loved  so  well.  I  desired  to  know  more  of  Him,  and  soon,  I,  who 
had  been  a  complete  stranger  to  the  practice  of  religion,  sought  my 
wife  and  said  to  her  'Take  me  to  your  confessor.'  That  was  the 
beginning  of  my  conversion,  my  friend." — Frederick  Renter. 

THE  REASONABLE  WORSHIP  OF  GOD 

The  "reasonable  worship"  of  which  St.  Paul  speaks  means  giving 
something  to  God.  It  means,  in  his  words,  "presenting  our  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy,  pleasing  unto  God."  If  in  this  life  we  be  not 
recreant  to  our  Christian  vocation,  our  occupation  for  eternity  will 
be  the  worship  of  God.  Like  the  seraphim  whom  Isaias  beheld  in 
the  Temple,  we  shall  sing  day  and  night:  "Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord 
God  of  hosts ;"  like  the  ancients  whom  St.  John  saw  in  vision,  we 
shall  fall  down  in  adoration  before  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  sitteth 
upon  the  throne.  Heaven  is  a  place  of  sublime  and  endless  worship. 
There  God  is  adored  without  ceasing  by  all  the  angels  and  Saints 
who  form  His  court.  What,  then,  would  those  do  in  such  company, 
who  ever  grudged  God  a  few  moments  of  prayer  and  worship?  What 
pleasure  could  there  be  in  the  choirs  of  angels  for  those  whose  hearts 
are  alienated  from  Him  and  who  have  no  relish  for  His  service? 
What  better  preparation  can  we  make,  then,  to  fit  ourselves  for  the 
work  of  Heaven  than  by  learning  to  engage  in  and  to  love  its  work  on 
earth  ? — J.  W.  Sullivan. 


PRAYER 

LOVE  or  PRATER 

St.  Francis  Borgia  spent  eight  hours  every  day  in  prayer;  he 
would  willingly  have  spent  a  longer  time,  but  his  superiors  would 
not  allow  him.  When  the  eight  hours  were  done,  and  when  they 
came  to  tell  him  that  the  time  granted  him  for  prayer  was  ended, 
he  would  earnestly  ask  them,  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  give 
him  a  few  minutes  more.  This  is  how  the  Saints  loved  prayer. 
How  different  were  they  from  many  who  think  themselves  to  be 


292    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

good  Christians  and  yet  feel  even  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  one 
day  very  long,  and  become  anxious  to  reach  the  end  of  their 
prayer  as  soon  as  possible ! 

CONVERSING  WITH  GOD 

In  the  village  of  Ars,  not  lon§  ago,  there  lived  a  poor  man  who 
was  very  ignorant  in  the  learning  of  the  world,  but  was  every  day 
gaining  great  merit  for  Heaven  by  his  simple  faith.  Whenever 
that  good  man  was  going  to  his  work  or  coming  home  from  it, 
he  was  sure  to  be  seen  entering  the  church  to  adore  his  Divine  Lord 
in  the  holy  tabernacle.  He  would  leave  his  tools,  his  spade,  hoe, 
and  pickaxe  at  the  door,  and  remain  for  hours  together  sitting  or 
kneeling  before  the  tabernacle.  The  priest  of  the  place,  the  Blessed 
Cure  of  Ars,  watched  him  with  great  delight.  But  what  surprised 
him  was,  that  although  the  man  remained  so  long  in  the  church, 
he  never  moved  his  lips,  and  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  tabernacle 
all  the  time. 

One  day  the  priest  said  to  him :  "My  good  man  what  do  you  say 
to  Our  Lord  in  those  long  visits  you  pay  to  Him  every  day?"  The 
man  answered:  "I  say  nothing  to  Him;  I  look  at  Him,  and  He 
looks  at  me."  Prayer  does  not  consist  in  saying  many  words,  but  in 
having  your  mind  fixed  on  God. 

MORNING  PRAYER 

What  can  be  more  fitting,  what  more  obvious  in  its  fittingness, 
than  that  our  first  waking  thoughts  should  be  directed  to  that 
Heavenly  Father  under  whose  protection  we  have  rested  during  the 
night?  Oh,  sinners!  You  who  lie  down  night  after  night  to  fall 
into  that  unconsciousness  which  is  the  very  image  of  death — I 
pause  to  ask  you  if  there  are  any  such  here — how  do  you  dare? 
You,  rebels  against  God,  deserving  of  His  wrath,  at  enmity  with 
Him,  you  are  obliged  to  put  yourselves,  whether  you  will  or  not, 
into  His  hands  for  many  hours,  the  dark  hours  of  the  night.  Wak- 
ing, you  may  think  that  your  own  watchfulness  may  save  you  from 
harm,  from  accident,  from  death — though  in  truth  it  is  not  so  unless 
He  wills  it  to  be  so — but  sleeping,  what  avail  your  powers  ?  They 
are  for  the  time  being  as  dead. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

NIGHT    PRAYER 

Now  is  the  dead  of  night,  and  I  must  sleep; 

But  first,  my  soul,  if  thou  dost  aught  recall 
Wherein  thou  hast  done  ill,  I  bid  thee  weep, 

And  pray  God's  tender  mercy  on  the  fall ; 
Be  all  for  Heaven;  think  life  draws  near  the  close; 

Give  to  repentance  thy  last  conscious  breath ; 
For  more  and  more  this  mortal  weakness  grows 

That  pledges  thee  to  take  the  form  of  death. 
And  sleep  awhile.  What  if  in  dreams  the  doom 
Of  life  should  shut,  and  thou  return  no  more? 

— Caryl  Baitersby   (Non-Cath.). 


PERSEVERANCE  295 

PERSEVERANCE 

PEBSCTERANOE 

To  lay  a  foundation  for  a  house  is  but  the  first  step.  It  takes 
much  time,  trouble,  and  expenditure  to  finish  the  house,  thus  it  is 
with  our  spiritual  structure.  To  lay  only  the  foundation  will  not 
do  us  any  good,  we  must  persevere  in  building  it  up. — St.  Theresa. 

With  a  Christian,  not  the  beginning  but  the  end  is  what  is 
important.  St.  Paul  had  a  bad  beginning,  but  a  good  end.  Judas 
had  a  good  beginning  but  a  bad  end. — St.  Jerome. 

Our  perseverance  depends,  not  on  one  grace,  but  on  the  thousand 
helps  which  we  hope  to  obtain  from  God  during  our  whole  lives, 
that  we  may  be  preserved  in  His  grace.  Now  to  this  chain  of  graces 
a  chain  of  prayers  on  our  part  must  correspond,  and  without  these 
prayers,  God  ordinarily  does  not  grant  His  graces.  If  we  neglect 
to  pray,  and  thus  break  the  chain  of  prayers,  the  chain  of  graces 
shall  also  be  broken,  and  we  shall  lose  the  grace  of  perseverance. 

— St.  Alphonsus  Ligiiori. 

Know  yoii  not  that  they  that  run  in  the  race  all  run  indeed,  but 
one  reccivcth  the  prize?    So  run  that  you  may  obtain. 

— I  Cor.  IX,  24. 

A  holy  man  continueth  in  imsdom  as  the  sun:  but  the  fool  is 
changed  as  the  moon. — Ecclus.  XXVII,  12. 

He  that  shall  persevere  unto  the  end,  he  shall  be  saved. 

—Matt.  X,  22. 

Be  thou  faithful  until  death:  and  I  will  give  thee  the  Crotvn  of 
Life. — And  he  that  shall  overcome  and  keep  My  works  unto  the 
end,  I  will  give  him  power  over  the  nations. — And  he  shall  rule 
them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  as  the  vessel  of  a  potter,  they  shall  be 
broken. — Apoc.  II.  10,  26-27. 

Behold  they  that  serve  Him  are  not  steadfast,  and  in  His  Angels 
He  found  wickedness. — Job  IV,  18. 

Be  steadfast  in  the  tvay  of  the  Lord  and  in  tJic  truth  of  thy 
judgment,  and  in  knowledge,  and  let  the  word  of  peace  and  justice 
keep  with  thcc. — Ecclus.  V,  12. 

/  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have 
kept  the  Faith. — As  to  the  rest,  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  Crown 
of  Justice,  which  the  Lord  the  Just  Judge  will  render  to  me  in  that 
day;  and  not  only  to  me,  but  to  them  also  that  love  His  coming. 

—II  Tim.  IV,  7-8. 


294    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

TEMPTATION 

TEMPTATION  NECESSITATED  BY  FREE  WILL 

Even  shortsighted  as  we  are,  we  see  in  the  very  nature  of  things 
the  necessity  and  advantages  of  temptation  or  trial.  Free  will 
necessitates  temptation.  How  can  we  be  selected,  chosen,  judged, 
or  rewarded,  if  not  tried  by  temptation  ?  The  whole  theory  of  evolu- 
tion is  but  "the  survival  of  the  fittest,"  in  a  struggle  with  adversity, 
which  fits  in  very  well  with  "our  wrestling,  that  is,  not  with  flesh 
and  blood,  but  with  the  powers  of  darkness  in  high  places."  God 
never  meant  us  to  loll  away  our  lives  in  "a  castle  of  indolence" ;  but, 
through  many  tribulations,  "to  fight  our  way  to  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven."  Life  is  the  soul's  training  ground,  and  temptations  serve 
to  test  our  fitness  to  "spring  up  into  eternal  life."  As  well  hope  to 
turn  out  a  scholar,  a  soldier,  or  an  athlete,  without  trial  or  training 
as  to  make  a  soul  truly  Christian  and  supernatural  without  temptation. 
Winter's  snow  and  frost  and  rain  are  as  beneficial  in  nature  as 
summer's  heat.  The  storm  has  its  uses,  as  well  as  the  calm.  So 
with  temptations,  they  deepen  and  strengthen  the  soul  in  virtue. 
"What  doth  he  know  that  hath  not  been  tried,"  says  the  wise  man 
(Ecclus  xxxiv,   9). — William   Graham. 

TEMPTATIONS  NECESSARY  FOR  THE  PRACTICE  OF  VIRTUES 

A  young  monk  one  day  went  to  visit  a  venerable  abbot.  As 
they  were  speaking  of  spiritual  things,  the  monk  said :  "My  Father, 
there  was  a  time  when  I  was  much  troubled  with  temptations,  but, 
thanks  be  to  God,  I  am  never  troubled  with  them  now."  The  abbot 
asked  him  how  he  had  been  able  to  become  free  from  them.  "I 
prayed  to  God  that  He  would  never  permit  me  to  be  tempted  again, 
and  He  has  been  pleased  to  hear  my  prayer."  The  abbot  answered: 
"My  son,  you  have  done  a  very  foolish  thing.  Go  back  quickly,  and 
pray  to  God  again  to  send  you  temptations,  but  along  with  them 
to  give  you  the  grace  necessary  to  overcome  them.  If  you  have  no 
temptations  to  fight  against,  you  may  easily  become  careless  in  the 
practice  of  virtue,  and  so  may  fall  into  the  sin  of  sloth." 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation;  for  when  he  hath 
been  proved,  he  shall  receive  the  Crown  of  Life,  which  God  hath 
promised  to  them  that  love  Him. — lames  I,  12. 

My  brethren,  count  it  all  joy,  when  you  shall  fall  into  divers 
temptations; — Knowing  that  the  trying  of  your  faith  worketh 
patience. — James  I,  2-3. 

Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  My  patience,  I  will  also 
keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation,  zvhich  shall  come  upon  the 
whole  world  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth. — Apoc.  HI,  10. 

Let  no  man,  when  he  is  tempted,  say  that  he  is  tempted  by  God. 
For  God  is  not  a  tempter  of  evils,  and  He  tempteth  no  man. 

— James  I,  13. 


TEMPTATION  %U 

Ht  that  is  temperate  shall  prolong  life. — Ecclus.  XXXVII,  34. 

IVatch  ye,  and  pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation. 

—Matt.  XXVI,  41- 

CONCUPISCENCE  THE   SOURCE   OF  TEMPTATION 

A  man  is  never  entirely  secure  from  temptation^  is  long  as  he 
lives ;  because  we  have  within  us  the  source  of  temptation,  having 
been  born  in  concupiscence. — Thomas  d  Kempis. 

DIVINE  JUSTICE  AND  MERCY 

If  the  devil  troubles  me  by  the  idea  of  Divine  justice,  I  think 
of  mercy;  if  he  seeks  to  lead  mc  to  presumption  by  the  idea  of 
mercy,  I  think  of  justice. — St.  Ignatius. 

THE   ARCH-ENEMY 

Scarcely  a  truth  in  Holy  Scripture  is  more  plainly  written  on 
its  pages  than  this :  that  we  have  an  enemy :  a  living,  real,  personal 
enemy,  who  is  the  leader  of  a  host  like  himself;  whose  object  is  the 
utter  ruin  of  our  souls :  a  never-tiring,  crafty  enemy ;  a  cruel  and 
raging  enemy,  who  will  grant  no  mercy,  as  he  hopes  for  none  himself; 
an  enemy  with  whom  no  parleying  must  be ;  against  whom  a 
constant  unremitting  hostility  is  the  only  safe  way  for  us.  "Put 
you  on,"  says  St.  Paul,  "the  armour  of  God,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  stand  against  the  deceits  of  the  devil :  for  our  wrestling  is  not 
against  flesh  and  blood ;  but  against  principalities  and  powers,  against 
the  rulers  of  the  world  of  this  darkness,  against  the  spirits  of 
wickedness  in  the  high  places"   (Eph.  vi,  11-12). — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  EVIL  SPIRITS  TRY  TO  PUT  US  OFF  OUR  GUARD 

The  evil  spirits  never  make  truce  with  us.  If  seemingly  they 
leave  us  in  peace,  they  do  so  only  to  put  us  off  our  gnard  so  that 
they  may  surprise  and  overwhelm  us  with  their  next  attack. 

— St.  John  Cliinacus. 

THE  THREE  CHIEF  TEMPTATIONS 

The  first  temptation  is  that  of  riches,  the  second,  that  of  honours, 
the  third,  that  of  pride,  and  by  these  three  steps,  Satan  leads  us  to 
all  other  vices. — St.  Ignatius. 

I  see  another  law  in  my  members,  fighting  against  the  law  of 
my  mind,  and  captivating  me  in  the  law  of  sin,  that  is  in  my  members. 

—Rom.  VII,  23. 

With  the  mind  I  serve  the  law  of  God;  but  with  the  flesh,  the 
law  of  sin. — Rom.  VII.  25. 

HOPE  IN  TEMPTATIONS 

As  long  as  I  sojourn  here,  so  far  from  Thee,  I  am  more  present 
to  myself  than  to  Thee,  yet  I  know  concerning  Thee  that  thou  canst 
in  no  manner  be  violated  or  receive  any  hurt;  but  as  for  myself, 
what  temptations  I  am  able  to  withstand,  and  what  not,  I  do  not 
know.     But  my  hope  is  that  Thou  art  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer 


29(i    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LXSTRUCTIQNS 

us  to  be  tempted  above  our  strength,  but  with  the  temptations  will 
also  make  a  way  to  escape  that  we  may  sustain  it  (I  Cor.  x). 

— St.  Augustine. 

rS   TEMPTATIONS   REMEMBER  THE  PRESENCE    OF   GOD 

One  day,  a  young  man,  who  was  often  tormented  with  bad 
thoughts,  went  to  a  priest  and  said  to  him :  "Father,  I  am  constantly 
tormented  with  bad  thoughts,  tell  me  the  best  means  of  putting 
them  away."  "My  son,"  said  the  priest,  "if  your  head  were  made 
of  glass,  so  that  everyone  could  see  these  thoughts,  how  long  would 
you  keep  them  in  your  mind  ?'"  "Oh !  I  would  put  them  away 
instantly,  for  I  would  be  filled  with  shame  if  anyone  knew  that  I 
was  thinking  about  them."  "God  sees  every  one  of  your  thoughts 
more  clearly  than  if  they  were  covered  by  thin  transparent  glass,"  said 
the  priest;  "therefore,  when  these  wicked  thoughts  come  to  your 
mind,  say  to  yourself,  'God  sees  me/  and  immediately  they  will  fly 
from  you." 

When  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  was  on  his  death-bed,  one  of  his 
brethren  in  religion  asked  him  to  give  him  a  rule  which  he  might 
follow,  so  that  he  might  never  offend  God.  St.  Thomas  answered : 
"My  brother,  if  you  keep  yourself  always  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  remember  that  He  is  always  seeing  you,  you  will  never  lose 
His  love  by  yielding  to  sin," 

LrPELONG  STRUGGLE  WITH  TEMPTATIONS 

A  certain  novice  complained  to  the  Abbot  Theodore  that  he  had 
been  for  eight  years  trying  to  overcome  his  evil  inclinations,  and 
that  he  had  not  yet  been  able  to  do  this,  but  that  they  still  annoyed 
him.  "My  brother,"  replied  the  abbot,  "you  complain  of  this  warfare 
of  eight  years,  and  I  have  spent  seventy  years  in  solitude,  and  during 
all  that  time  I  have  not  for  a  single  day  been  free  from  temptations ; 
and  every  day  during  all  these  years  I  have  had  to  contend  with  my 
evil  inclinations,  so  that  I  might  be  able  to  keep  them  in  subjection. 
It  is  only  when  this  life  is  ended  that  our  struggle  against  temptation 
will  come  to  an  end." 

FXEE   THOSE   WHO   ARE   OBSTACLES   TO  THY   SALVATION 

Thou  mayest  love  some  one  so  dearly  as  to  regard  him  as  the 
apple  of  thine  eye;  thou  mayst  believe  him  to  be  no  less  necessary 
to  thee  than  thy  hand  or  thy  foot.  Yet  if  he  be  an  obstacle  to  thy 
salvation,  if  his  company  be  to  thee  a  cause  of  sin,  cut  thyself 
off  from  him,  and  leave  him,  for  longer  association  with  him  might 
serve  only  to  cast  both  into  hell,  whereas  by  separation  thou  wilt 
be  saved  and  possibly  thy  friend  with  thee. — St.  John  Chrysostom. 

FLY!    FLY!    FLY! 

A  young  man  who  had  often  yielded  to  temptations  against  holy 
purity,  because  he  did  not  run  away  when  he  was  tempted,  asked  a 
holy  man  to  tell  him  what  he  should  do  that  he  might  never  again 
fall  into  sin,  for  he  desired  most  sincerely  to  save  his  soul.  "There 
are    three    things    you    must    do    if   you    desire    to    overcome    these 


TEMPTATION  297 

temptations,"  replied  the  man  of  God.  "Firstly,  you  must  fly  away; 
secondly,  you  must  fly  away  at  once;  thirdly,  you  must  fly  away 
quickly.  The  way  by  which  you  can  most  readily  overcome  tempta- 
tions is  to  fly  away  from  them." 

I'LL   KEEP  MY   EYES   SHUT 

Little  Henry  had  been  very  ill.  When  he  was  slowly  recovering, 
and  was  just  able  to  rise  from  his  bed  and  go  about  a  little,  he  was 
left  alone  for  a  short  time  in  the  room,  when  his  sister  came  in 
eating  a  piece  of  sweet  cake.  Henry's  mother  had  told  him  that 
he  must  not  eat  anything  but  what  she  gave  him,  and  that  it  would 
be  dangerous  for  him  to  eat  what  the  other  children  did,  until  he 
was  stronger.  His  appetite  was  coming  back,  and  the  cake  in  his 
sister's  hand  looked  very  tempting.  He  wanted  very  much  to  take 
a  bite  of  it,  and  his  kind  sister  would  gladly  have  given  it  to  him. 
"Jeannie,"  he  said  to  her,  "you  must  run  out  of  the  room  at  once, 
and  take  that  sweet  cake  with  you.  I'll  keep  my  eyes  shut  till  you 
get  outside  the  door,  so  that  I  may  not  be  tempted  to  take  it."  If 
also  grown-up  people  would  shut  their  eyes  when  they  are  in 
temptation,  they  would  escape  much  sin  and  trouble. 

DO  NOT  WORRY  OVER  TEMPTATIONS 

Do  not  torment  yourself  about  evil,  impure,  or  sensual  thoughts, 
nor  about  your  miseries  or  lukewarmness,  when  you  endure  these 
things  in  spite  of  yourself:  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  were  not  able 
entirely  nor  partially  to  avoid  such  distresses. — St.  Ignatius. 

TEMPTATIONS   ARE   NOT   OF  THEMSELVES   SINFUL 

It  is  not  a  sin  to  be  tempted;  it  is  a  sin  only  when  we  give  way 
to  temptation.  It  is  when  we  are  tempted  most  that  God  is  nearest 
to  us,  because  He  wants  to  be  near  us,  His  children,  to  help  us  when 
we  call  upon  Him. 

St.  Catherine  of  Sienna  was  one  day  tempted  very  much  with  bad 
thoughts,  but  by  God's  holy  grace  she  put  them  all  away.  Not  long 
afterwards.  Our  Blessed  Lord  was  pleased  to  appear  to  her  in  a  visible 
manner.  As  socn  as  she  saw  Him,  she  cried  out:  "O  my  God,  where 
were  you  when  the  devil  was  tempting  me  with  those  wicked 
thoughts?"  "My  daughter,"  He  replied,  "I  was  in  the  midst  of  your 
heart  all  the  time."  "O  my  dearest  Lord,"  said  the  Saint,  "is  it 
possible  that  you  could  have  been  there  in  the  midst  of  such  frightful 
temptations?"  "Yes,  my  child,  I  was  there  watching  over  you  when 
you  were  fighting  against  them,  and  helping  you  to  overcome  them ; 
and  when  I  saw  how  much  you  detested  them  for  love  of  Me,  My 
Heart  was  filled  with  the  greatest  joy." 

THE  DANGEROUS   SPARK 

If  we  see  a  spark  fall  upon  our  clothing  we  make  all  possible  haste 
to  extinguish  it,  that  no  conflagration  may  result.  Protect  yourselves 
with  the  same  or  even  greater  apprehension  from  the  fire  that  is 
never  extinguished,  and  remember  that  the  sensual  thought  is  the 
spark  thrown  into  our  minds,  and  if  not  routed  on  the  spot  it  will 


298    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

be  stirred  by  Satan  and  kindled  into  a  lively  blaze  by  which  the  soul 
is  likely  to  perish. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

THE  NEAR  OCCASION 

St.  Augustine  relates  a  story  about  a  young  friend  of  his,  Alpius 
by  name,  who  went  to  Rome  to  pursue  his  studies.  It  was  customary 
for  the  young  men  of  Rome  to  amuse  themselves  by  going  to  public 
shows.  On  one  occasion,  Alpius  was  forced,  against  his  will,  to 
accompany  some  of  his  friends  to  one  of  these  places  of  amusement. 
He  was,  however,  resolved  to  close  his  eyes  that  no  sinful  scene  might 
imprint  itself  on  his  soul.  But,  sad  to  relate,  he  forgot  to  close  his 
cars,  and  thus  sin  entered  his  heart.  About  the  middle  of  the  per- 
formance, the  audience  began  to  shout  and  applaud  loudly.  Alpius 
forgot  his  resolution.  Opening  his  eyes,  he  was  attracted  by  the 
scene,  and  so  he  continued  to  gaze  till  the  play  was  finished. 

Night  after  night  saw  Alpius  again  the  theatre.  Unmindful  alike 
of  his  prayers  and  his  studies,  he  soon  fell  deep  in  sin.  Though  it  is 
gratifying  to  relate  that  Alpius,  through  the  supplications  of  St. 
Augustine,  again  returned  to  the  path  of  duty,  still  this  example  ought 
to  warn  us  how  readily  the  devil  may  ensnare  us. 

— Frederick  Renter. 

IDLENESS  INCITES  TEMPTATIONS 

We  read  in  the  "Lives  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert"  of  a  young 
solitary  who  did  not  employ  his  time  as  conscientiously  as  he  ought  to 
have  done.  In  consequence  of  this,  he  was  frequently  idle,  and 
during  these  idle  moments  he  was  often  tempted  with  impure  thoughts. 
One  day,  when  he  was  tormented  more  than  usual  with  them,  he  went 
to  his  superior  and  told  him  about  it.  The  superior,  who  knew  the 
young  monk's  disposition  to  idleness,  said  he  would  try  to  cure  him. 
So  he  at  once  gave  him  much  more  constant  labour,  and  more  heavy 
work  than  he  had  been  accustomed  to,  and  commanded  him  to  accom- 
plish it  without  delay.  A  few  days  afterwards  the  superior,  meeting 
him  alone,  asked  him  if  he  were  still  troubled  with  the  temptations  he 
had  complained  of  to  him.  "Ah,  no,"  he  replied.  "How  could  I  find 
time  to  be  tempted,  since  you  have  imposed  on  me  so  many  and  such 
continual  labours?    I  have  scarcely  even  time  to  breathe." 

COURTING  D.4NGER 

Very  particularly  in  the  rash  season  of  youth  do  we  ignore  the 
small  beginnings  from  which  gigantic  evils  are  destined  to  flow.  If 
only  the  young  could  be  taught  to  discipline  their  imagination  and 
control  the  irregular  cravings  of  their  hearts,  how  many  ghastly  life- 
tragedies  we  should  be  spared !  Yet  you  know  with  what  perversity 
they  will  court  danger.  After  the  capture  of  Port  Arthur  numbers 
of  Japanese  soldiers  were  blown  to  bits,  because,  in  spite  of  every 
v/arning,  they  would  experiment  with  the  shells  that  lay  strewn  on 
the  ground,  or  explore  the  mines  that  ran  under  it.  It  required  the 
sternest  orders  to  get  them  to  desist  from  their  foolhardy  curiosity. 
Now  wc  do  not  all  possess  the  physical  courage  of  these  curious 
and  reckless  soldiers,  and  would  probably  be  very  cautious,  indeed, 
in  handling  dynamite  or  gun-cotton.  But  there  are  moral  explosives 
with  which  we  tamper  still  more  recklessly;  there  are  moral  mines 


BOOKS   AND   READING  299 

beneath  life's  surface  which,  with  still  more  wanton  folly,  we  are 
eager  to  explore.  We  are  not  afraid  of  readinsj  any  bocks,  however 
unreligious,  anarchical,  or  immoral;  we  do  not  shrink  from  any  com- 
panions, however  cynical  and  depraved;  we  are  not  ashamed  to  haunt 
theaters  and  music  halls  of  more  than  doubtful  reputation,  or  visit 
dancing  casinos  where  the  latest  dance  atrocities  rob  our  youth  of  the 
last  vestiges  of  modesty  and  break  down  the  last  barriers  of  decorum 
or  reserve. — P.  J.  Gannon,  S.  J. 


BOOKS  AND   READING 

GOOD  READING 

A  good  book  is  a  good  adviser,  because  no  one  else  would  dare  to 
tell  you  what  is  told  you  without  hesitation  by  the  book. — St.  Theresa. 

St.  Ignatius  became  a  Saint  through  reading  the  book  "The  Lives 
of  the  Saints."  Having  been  wounded  in  battle  he  found  his  con- 
finement monotonous  and  called  for  one  of  the  frivolous  novels 
popular  in  his  days.  Fortunately  none  of  those  novels  were  at  hand 
and  he  was  given  the  "Lives  of  the  Saints,"  which  proved  a  powerful 
means  of  grace. 

NOVEL   READING 

Novel  reading  is  condemnable  because  of  the  evil  effects  upon  the 
soul.  I  hold  that  the  very  best  and  purest  work  of  atheistic  fiction 
can  not  be  read  without  a  sensible  diminution  of  the  grace  of  God 
in  the  soul,  and  the  reason  of  this  is  that,  by  their  very  nature,  they 
are  of  the  earth,  earthy;  and  if  they  do  not  gloss  over  vice,  and 
depreciate  virtue,  like  the  worst  class  of  novels,  they  substitute 
natural  virtues  for  supernatural,  and  lead  away  the  mind  to  meditate 
on  creatures,  instead  of  being  totally  absorbed  in  God.  Secondly,  they 
bring  the  young  and  the  incautious  into,  perhaps,  the  most  fatal 
habit  that  can  be  contracted,  that  dreamy,  sleepy,  sentimental,  imagi- 
native frame  of  mind  that  utterly  unfits  them  for  the  real,  practical 
business  of  life,  and  predisposes  to  mortal  sin.  Novel  reading  has 
somewhat  the  same  effect  as  opium.  Novel  readers,  like  opium  eaters, 
live  in  a  world  of  dreams.  They  fancy,  feed  upon  their  fancies,  live 
by  fancy,  and  the  consequence  is,  they  become  dissatisfied  with  their 
conditions  in  life,  they  perform  their  duties  mechanically,  they  acquire 
a  love  of  dress  and  finery.  All  the  lessons  of  early  life  vanish  before 
the  new  lessons  of  the  novel.  The  world  is  painted  in  false  colours, 
the  ambition  of  the  young  is  directed,  not  to  the  love  of  God,  or  to 
promoting  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  to  figure  before  the  world, 
and  to  catch  the  applause  of  the  world;  in  a  word,  the  mind  is  utterly 
demoralized,  and,  with  such  principles  sin  is  easy,  nay,  it  is  not  at  al! 
impossible  that  the  novel  reader  may  enter  upon  a  course  of  sin 
through  an  imagined  sense  of  duty  and  of  principle. — P.  A.  Slu^ehan. 

NEWSPAPERS 

I  would  remind  you  Catholics  of  a  few  things  it  would  be  well  to 
remember.    The  editor  of  the  ordinary  newspaper  is  an  individual  of 


300    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

flesh  and  blood,  whose  opinion  is  not  worth  more  than  that  of  any 
other  man;  that  he  writes,  not  to  preach  the  truth,  but  to  earn  his 
liveHhood;  that  he  therefore  shapes  his  opinions  according  to  the 
opinions  of  the  party  he  represents;  that,  therefore,  his  is  the  most 
servile  of  all  professions;  that  in  treating  of  Catholic  subjects,  the 
ignorance  of  average  newspaper  writers  is  only  equaled  by  their 
ingenuity  in  framing  falsehoods  and  their  fluency  in  calumniating; 
that  the  paper  must  please  the  people  or  the  people  will  not  buy  the 
paper;  that,  therefore,  as  the  public  still  demand  the  periodical  joke, 
the  periodical  lie,  the  periodical  misrepresentation  of  Catholic  faith 
and  Catholic  practice,  the  paper  must  insert  them ;  and  that,  therefore, 
on  all  Catholic  subjects,  they  are  utterly  untrustworthy,  ignorant  of 
our  doctrines,  of  our  practices,  misrepresenting  our  principles  and 
moral  maxims;  scurrilous,  false,  and  libelous. — P.  A.  Sheehan. 

PIOCS    READING 

A  certain  man  who  had  committed  the  crime  of  murder  was  con- 
demned to  death.  During  the  time  that  elapsed  between  the  sentence 
and  the  day  fixed  for  his  execution  he  was  constantly  visited  by  a 
priest,  who  prepared  him  for  death.  This  priest  also  gave  him  some 
pious  books  to  read.  One  day  the  unhappy  man  said  to  the  priest: 
"O  my  Father,  if  I  had  always  had  books  like  these,  and  if  I  had 
since  my  childhood  frequently  read  them,  I  should  never  have  come 
to  this  terrible  end." 

FRIVOLOUS  READING 

During  a  mission,  a  certain  lady  went  to  one  of  the  fathers  to 
speak  to  him.  They  had  not  been  speaking  together  long  when  the 
priest  discovered  that  she  was  given  to  reading  novels  of  a  dangerous 
and  exciting  kind, 

"I  see  that  you  read  much,  and  that  you  prefer  light  literature, 
such  as  novels,"  the  priest  said  to* her.  "Yes,  Father,  it  is  quite  true; 
but  I  read  only  for  amusement."  "If  such  is  the  case,"  said  the  priest, 
"just  continue  to  read  them;  only  each  time  you  take  up  the  book 
be  sure  to  say  to  God:  'O  my  God,  I  am  going  to  read  this  novel  to 
please  Thee.  I  know  that  it  contains  unsound  doctrines,  and  bad 
counsels,  and  the  relation  of  evil  deeds,  yet  I  am  gcing  to  read  about 
these  things  for  Thy  glory  and  the  salvation  of  my  soul.' "  She 
answered:  "O  Father,  that  is  an  impossibility!  Such  a  prayer  would 
be  a  mocking  of  God."  "No,  madam,"  replied  the  priest;  "if  the 
reading  is  not  bad,  you  can,  and  you  ought,  to  make  that  prayer." 
"But — but "  she  began,  with  some  hesitation.  "Oh,  I  see,"  in- 
terrupted the  priest;  "you  do  not  seem  to  be  quite  so  sure  now  that 
the  books  you  read  are  so  harmless  as  you  at  first  pretended  they 
were.  Tell  me  the  truth,  now.  Were  you  not  mucb  more  pious  be- 
fore you  began  to  read  those  books  than  you  are  now?"  The  lady 
was  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  she  was.  "And  did  you  not  go  more 
frequently  to  the  Sacraments  then  than  you  have  dene  since  you 
have  begun  to  read  these  books?"  "Yes,  I  must  acknowledge  that  I 
did."  "Then  I  have  only  one  answer  to  give  you.  You  ask  me  what 
you  are  to  do  to  serve  God  as  you  ought.  My  answer  is  this :  Cease 
to  read  the  books  you  have  hitherto  been  reading,  since  they  have 


BOOKS  AND   READING  301 

proved  themselves  so  hurtful  to  you  and  so  dangerous,  and  you  will 
soon  find  your  former  piety  restored  to  you."  The  lady  did  as  she 
was  advised.  It  was  at  first  very  difficult  to  break  off  the  evil  habit 
she  had  acquired,  but  in  the  end,  by  perseverance  and  prayer,  she 
succeeded,  and  soon  became  very  happy  again  and  a  good  Christian. 

READING  FORBIDDEN  BOOKS 

Let  us  recall  to  mind  the  edifying  words  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales, 
in  the  preface  to  his  treatise  on  the  errors  of  the  Lutherans  and 
Calvinists,  where  he  gives  the  assurance  of  having  conscientiously 
asked  for  and  received  permission  to  read  their  writings.  "We  fer- 
vently request  our  Catholic  readers,"  writes  the  Saint,  "not  to  let  an 
evil  suspicion  against  us  arise,  as  if  we  had  read  the  forbidden  books 
in  spite  of  the  prohibition  of  Holy  Church.  We  are  able  to  assure 
them  in  all  truth  of  having  done  nothing  forbidden  to  a  good  Christ- 
ian, and  of  having  taken  every  precaution  due  in  a  matter  of  so  vast 
importance,  so  as  not  to  incur  in  any  way  the  very  just  censures  of 
the  Church,  nor  in  any  manner  to  violate  the  profound  reverence  we 
owe  to  her."  The  permission  granted  him,  dated  July  i6,  1608,  is  still 
extant;  likewise  one  asked  by  St.  Charles  Borromeo. 

THE   POISON   IN   IRRELIGIOUS  BOOKS 

Few  lay  men  are  sufficiently  instructed  to  refute  all  the  objections 
openly  raised  against  religion.  And  fewer  still  are  those  who  can 
detect  the  poison  of  infidelity  and  impiety  instilled  into  the  pages  of 
irreligious  books. 

Has  the  lesson  of  the  centuries  taught  the  Church  no  wisdom? 
Have  our  modern  notions  outgrown  the  experience  and  the  prudence 
of  our  aged  mother?  Has  the  rapid  spread  of  the  sixteenth  century 
heresy  taught  no  lesson  through  its  literature?  And  in  the  eighteenth 
century  was  not  the  derision  of  all  that  is  sacred  due  to  the  impious 
productions  of  French  writers? 

In  an  endless  stream  there  flow  from  the  printing  press  books 
that  are  anti-Christian  in  spirit,  some  professedly  so,  others  cloaked 
under  the  specious  guise  of  science  and  philosophy.  Who  shall  be 
the  watchman  on  the  walls  of  Israel  to  warn  us  of  the  enemies'  ap- 
proach if  it  be  not  the  Divinely  appointed  one  of  Israel?  We  stand 
in  need  of  direction  in  the  warfare.  We  require  someone  who  can 
point  out  the  weakness  and  the  dangers  that  beset  us  in  our  read- 
ing, for  we  see  not  the  pitfalls  till  the  harm  is  done. 

Mrs.  Humphrey  Ward,  George  Eliot  and  others,  are  read  with 
avidity  and  their  subtle  influence  is  not  realized  till  the  iron  is  in 
our  soul  and  the  sweet  prayers  of  our  childhood  have  grown  insipid. 
The  mire  of  Zola  and  the  nauseating  realism  of  D'Annunzio  leave 
us  unclean  and  lower  our  moral  standard.  We  learn  from  Suder- 
mann  and  Ibsen  the  mere  joy  of  life  and  the  disenchantment  of  life's 
most  sacred  relations.  So  we  sail  on  in  our  mad  rush  with  no  strong 
hand  on  the  tiller,  no  guiding  mind  to  save  us  from  the  shoals  and 
the  rocks,  till  the  Church  has  lost  its  attraction  and  we  no  longer 
think  of  God  and  have  no  further  concern  for  our  future.  We 
grow  heedless  of  the  great  principle  that  we  must  not  expose  our- 
selves to  the  pernicious  influence  of  books  which  weaken  our  faith 


302    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

and  our  moral  code,    for   "he   that   loveth   the  danger   shall   perish 
therein." — /.  W.  Sullivan. 

DAXGEROUS    READING 

What  else  is  the  great  mass  of  our  modern  popular  literature  but 
an  examen  of  conscience,  publicly  made  by  the  author  before  his 
readers  and  the  whole  world?  And  so  deeply  are  his  vices  rooted 
in  his  heart  that,  not  satisfied  with  presenting  them  under  the  at- 
tractive disguise  of  imagery,  they  must  be  spread  out  to  cater  to 
the  tastes  of  his  readers,  in  all  their  filthy  and  disgusting  details. 

— /.  Hecker,  C.  S.  P. 

The  religious  savant,  who  has  to  do  a  great  deal  with  infidel  books, 
must  be  on  his  watch  incessantly,  even  though  he  has  the  knowledge 
and  the  intellect  to  detect  wrong  conclusions.  Thus  we  find  that 
great  scholars  often  display  a  striking  fear  of  irreligious  books.  Of 
Cardinal  Mai  it  is  told:  "He  said — and  this  we  can  vouch  for — I  have 
the  permission  to  read  forbidden  books;  but  I  never  make  use  of  it 
nor  do  I  intend  to  do  so." 

The  learned  L.  A.  Muratori  wrote  a  refutation  of  a  heretic  book. 
In  the  preface  he  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  for  having  read 
the  book.  He  said:  "The  book  got  into  my  hands  very  late,  and  for 
a  long  time  I  could  not  get  myself  to  read  it.  For  why  should  one 
read  the  writings  of  innovators  except  to  commit  one's  self  to  their 
folly?  I  seek  and  like  books  which  confirm  my  faith,  but  not  those 
which  would  lead  me  away  from  my  religion.  But  when  I  heard  that 
the  book  was  circulated  in  Italy,  I  resolved  to  muster  up  my  strength 
for  the  defence  of  truth  and  religion,  and  for  the  safety  of  my 
brethren." 

St.  Francis  de  Sales,  with  touching  simplicity,  gives  in  his 
writings  praise  to  God  for  having  preserved  him  from  losing  his  faith 
through  the  reading  of  heretical  books.  Of  the  learned  Spanish 
philosopher  Balmez  is  preserved  a  saying  that  he  once  addressed  to 
two  of  his  friends:  "You  know,  the  Faith  is  deeply  rooted  in  my 
heart.  Nevertheless,  I  cannot  read  a  fallacious  book  without  feeling 
the  necessity  of  regaining  the  right  mood  by  reading  Holy  Writ,  the 
Imitation  of  Christ,  and  the  writings  of  Blessed  Louis  of  Granada." 


HUMILITY 

HlIMn.ITY 

And  I,  a  wretch,  and  the  vilest  of  men,  how  shall  I  bring  Thee 
into  my  house,  who  can  hardly  spend  one-lialf  hour  devoutly?  And 
would  to  God  I  had  ever  once  spent  one-half  hour  as  I  ought!  O  my 
God,  how  much  did  they  endeavour  to  do  to  please  Tliee !  Alas,  how 
little  it  is  that  I  do !  How  short  a  time  do  I  spend  when  I  prepare 
to  communicate?  Seldom  am  I  wholly  recollected,  very  seldom  free 
from  all  distraction!  And  yet  surely,  in  the  life-giving  presence  of 
Thy  Deity,  no  unbecoming  thought  should  occur,  nor  anything  created 


HUMILITY  803 

take  up  my  mind;  for  it  is  not  an  angel,  but  the  Lord  of  angels  that 
I  am  to  entertain. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

If  you  find  a  man  who  is  always  cheerful  and  content,  you  may 
rest  assured  you  have  found  an  humble  man.  And  this  is  even 
according  to  reason,  since  an  humble,  unambitious  heart  is  so  easily 
satisfied. — Bishop  John  S.   Vaughan. 

A  famous  preacher  relates  an  amusing-,  but  very  instructive, 
incident,  from  which  we  may  learn  how  readily  men  deceive  them- 
selves about  genuine  humility.  A  woman  came  to  the  preacher 
making  profuse  protestations  of  her  great  sinfulness;  she  concludes: 
"Oh,  dear  Father,  I  am  the  greatest  sinner  on  earth."  The  good 
father  had  gathered  some  experience  in  his  dealings  with  men,  and 
he  immediately  perceived  the  insincerity  of  that  woman's  self- 
abasement.  He  put  her  virtue  to  a  test.  "Yes,"  he  answers,  "it  is 
true,  you  have  grievously  failed,  but — ."  The  woman  at  once 
interrupted  him:  "What?  Who  will  dare  to  say  anything  against 
me  ?" — Charles  Bniehl. 

HUMILITY   THE   BASIS   OF   VIRTUE 

A  just  man  who  abandons  humility  is  rejected  and  reproved  by 
God  in  spite  of  all  his  good  works,  and  that  which  seems  in  him  to  be 
virtue  is  only  vice. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

POWER  OF  HUMILITY 

There  is  nothing  that  compels  the  Divine  King  like  humility.  It 
drew  Him  from  His  throne  to  the  lowly  stable  in  Bethlehem  and 
through  humility  we  can  draw  Him  into  our  soul. — St.  Theresa. 

Take  up  My  yoke  upon  you,  end  learn  of  Me,  because  I  am  meek 
and  humble  of  heart:  and  you  shall  End  rest  to  your  souls. 

—Matt.  XI,  29. 

Where  humility  is,  there  also  is  inrisdom. — Prov.  XI,   2. 

He  that  hath  been  humbled  shall  be  in  glory:  and  he  that  shall 
bow  dozvn  his  eyes,  he  shall  be  saved. — Job  XXII,  29. 

TRUE  HUMILITY 

Supposing,  brother,  that  we  arrive  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels 
all  drenched  with  rain  and  trembling  with  cold,  all  covered  with 
mud  and  exhausted  from  hunger,  and  if,  when  we  knock  at  the 
convent  gate,  the  porter  should  come  angrily  and  ask  us  who  we 
are;  if  after  we  have  told  him  we  are  two  of  his  brothers  he  should 
answer  angrily :  what  you  say  is  not  the  truth,  you  are  but  two 
impostors  going  about  to  deceive  the  world,  and  take  away  the  alms 
of  the  poor,  begone,  I  say;  if  he  refuses  to  open  to  us,  and  leaves 
us  outside  exposed  to  the  snow  and  rain,  suffering  from  cold  and 
hunger  till  night  arrives — then  if  we  accept  such  injustice,  such 
cruelty  and  such  contempt  without  being  ruffled,  and  without  mur- 


304    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

muring,  believing  with  humility  and  charity  that  the  porter  really 
knows  us,  and  that  it  is  God  who  makes  him  speak  thus  against 
us,  O  Brother  Leo,  write  down  that  this  is  a  cause  for  perfect 
joy. — St.  Francis  of  Assisi. 

He  that  has  true  humility  considers  himself  the  most  imperfect 
of  all  men;  he  looks  upon  himself  as  a  criminal;  he  considers  it  a 
secret  blindness  that  he  cannot  perceive  the  faults  which  everyone 
sees  in  him. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

FALSE  HUMILITY 

Often  we  consider  ourselves  humble  simply  because  we  do  not 
desire  honour,  but  just  as  soon  as  we  consider  our  honour  in  the  least 
attacked,  we  are  immediately  exasperated,  and  this  proves  that  we 
are  not  humble. — St.  Theresa. 

A  CAUSE  FOB  HUMILITY 

If  we  consider  everything  earthly  and  imperfect  that  is  to  be 
found  in  us,  we  should  have  many  motives  for  humbling  ourselves 
before  God  and  men,  and  even  before  our  inferiors. 

— St.   Vincent   de  Paul. 

THE  PROOF  OF  HUMILITY 

It  is  proof  of  deep  humility  if  one  realizes  that  he  is  condemned 
without  guilt  and  yet  suffers  in  silence.  This  is  an  excellent 
imitation   of   Christ,   who   innocently   suffered    for   our   guilt. 

— St.  Theresa. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  HUMILITY 

In  the  same  way  as  darkness  flees  before  the  sun,  so  does  bitter- 
ness of  spirit  and  anger  flee  before  humility. — St.  Jerome. 

One  day  St.  Anthony  had  a  vision,  in  which  he  saw  the  vv'hole 
world  covered  with  snares  and  nets  which  Satan  had  spread  out  to 
catch  the  souls  of  men.  This  sight  filled  him  with  great  surprise 
and  sadness.  "O,  my  God,"  he  exclaimed,  "who  can  ever  hope  to 
escape  all  these  snares,  for  they  are  everywhere?"  He  heard  a 
voice  which  answered  him :  "The  man  who  is  humble." 

THE  LACK  OF  HUMILITY 

There  is  a  vast  deal  of  theoretical  humility  amongst  Catholics, 
but  very  little  practical  humility.  Instead  of  practicing  the  lessons 
that  were  left  us  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  who,  "When  he  was  reviled, 
did  not  revile",  our  gospel  is  "An  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth,  insult  for  insult,  injury  for  injury,"  or  if  we  are  very  good 
we  only  ask  an  apology  for  an  insult,  and  only  the  fullest  reparation 
for  even  imaginary  mjuries.  This  shows  at  least,  dear  brethren, 
how  irrational  is  the  excuse  of  the  uncharitable,  that  the  faults 
they  speak  of  are  trivial,  and  their  motives  are  harmless.  If  you 
will  not  accept  that  excuse  when  others  speak  uncharitably  of  you, 
you  ought  not  to  offer  that  excuse  for  your  uncharitable  remarks 
about  others. — P.  A.  Sheehan. 


MORTIFICATION  805 

THE  SAFE  COURSE  OF  HUMILITY 

St.  Gregory  compares  tl.c  two  men  in  the  Gospel  to  two  sbips 
starting  out  for  some  distant  port.  The  one  a  gallant,  splendid 
craft  with  a  precious  cargo ;  a  proud  vessel,  strong  in  keel,  in  prow 
majestic  and  beauteous  in  canvas,  laughing  at  the  very  hint  of  disaster. 
The  other  a  frail  Lark  of  humble  appearance,  not  trusted  with 
valuable  freight.  And  of  the  two  the  pretentious  vessel  never  reaches 
its  harbour;  the  humble  one,  after  having  been  tossed  about  by  wave 
and  wind,  finally  gains  the  destined  port.  The  Saint  also  assigns 
the  reason  for  the  disparity  of  their  fate:  At  the  helm  of  the  one 
sat  pride,  steering  it  into  ruin  and  destruction;  the  other  or>e  was 
safely  guided  off  shoal  and  reef  by  the  cautious  hand  of  humility. 

— Charles  Brnehl. 

MORTIFICATION 

MORTIFICATION 

Three  practical  rules  of  mortification  given  by  an  old  writer 
are:  First.  Do  all,  that  you  ought  to  do,  well;  and  do  not  do  ivhat  is 
forbidden.  This  loyalty  to  duty  is  a  splendid  habitual  mortification 
and  if  it  is  done  for  spiritual  motives  will  sanctify  the  soul  by  tram- 
ing  it  to  obey  God. 

Second.  Accept  all  that  happens  to  you  zuith  patience,  regarding 
your  lot  and  experiences  in  life  as  the  holy  Will  of  God  in  your 
regard.  We  may  remember  this  rule  by  the  words  of  St.  Paul: 
"Giving  thanks  always  for  ail  things,  in  the  name  of  cur  Lcrd  Jesus 
Christ,  to  God  and  the  Father"  (Eph.  v,  20).  The  penances  God 
sends  us  in  life  must  be  valued  more  than  all  self-inflicted  penances; 
they  do  not  puff  us  up,  self-love  cannot  cry  "enough,"  and  when 
accepted  are  quite  as  voluntary  as  those  we  invent.  Practice  this, 
my  brethren,  in  poverty,  sorrow,  bereavement,  anxiety  or  whatever 
be  the  cross  God  chooses  for  your  sanctification. 

Third.  Draw  the  line  clearly  and  firmly  in  things  which  are 
pleasing  to  nature;  e.  g.,  food,  drink,  idleness,  expenditure,  etc.  The 
rule  of  the  spiritual  life  is  to  use  the  pleasant  things  of  life  for 
the  good  of  the  soul  rather  than  for  the  gratification  of  the  body. 
Though  all  things  be  possible,  all  things  are  not  lawful,  and  our  first 
consideration  must  be:  "Will  this  harm  or  benefit  me  sp!r'tually."  The 
soul  and  body  have  to  work  together  in  harness,  and  both  must  be 
considered,  but  in  this  order:  the  soul  first  and  the  body  second. 

What  was  the  reason  why  some  of  the  Saints  were  so  perfect 
and  contemplative?  Because  they  made  it  their  study  wholly  to 
mortify  in  themselves  all  earthly  desires;  and  thus  they  were  enabled, 
with  the  whole  interior  of  their  heart,  to  cleave  to  God,  and  freely 
to  attend  to  themselves. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

One  day  when  St.  Theresa  was  very  ill  and  could  take  no  food, 
she  thought  she  would  like  to  taste  an  orange.  So  someone  brought 
her  a  few  very  sweet  ones.  As  soon  as  they  were  brought  to  her, 
instead   of  touching   them   herself   she   sent   them   to   some   of   her 


306    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

poor  people  who  were  sick.  One  of  the  sisters  asked  her  why  she 
had  done  so,  since  she  stood  in  need  of  them  more  than  anyone  else. 
"I  feel  more  pleasure,"  she  said,  "in  giving  them  to  the  poor  than 
if  I  kept  them  for  myself;  when  I  see  them  satisfied  I  also  am 
full  of  joy." 

OVERCOMING   OURSELVES 

Who  is  a  greater  hindrance  and  trouble  to  thee  than  thine  own 
unmortified  affection  of  heart?  A  good  and  devout  man  first  disposes 
his  works  inwardly  which  he  is  to  do  outwardly.  Neither  do  they 
draw  him  to  the  desires  of  an  inordinate  inclination ;  but  he  bends 
them  to  the  rule  of  right  reason.  Who  has  a  stronger  conflict  than 
he  who  strives  to  overcome  himself?  And  this  must  be  our  busmess, 
to  strive  to  overcome  ourselves,  and  daily  to  gain  strength  against 
ourselves,  and  to  grow  better  and  better. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

SELF    DEXLVL 

It  is  true  every  one  is  desirous  of  acting  according  to  his  own 
liking,  and  is  more  mclined  to  such  as  are  of  his  own  mind.  But 
if  God  be  amongst  us,  we  must  sometimes  give  up  our  own  opinion 
for  the  sake  of  peace.  Who  is  so  wise  as  to  be  able  fully  to  know  all 
things  ?  Therefore,  trust  not  too  much  to  thine  own  thoughts ;  but 
be  willing  also  to  hear  the  sentiments  of  others.  Although  thy  opmion 
be  good,  yet  if  for  God's  sake  thou  leavest  it  to  follow  that  of 
another,  it  will  be  more  profitable  to  thee. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

SELF    DISCIPLINE 

The  time  which  ought  to  be  devoted  to  the  taming  of  passions  is 
ill-employed  in  repeating  long  prayers. — St.  Ignatius. 

FASTING 

THE  PRECEPT  OF  FASTING 

The  precept  of  fasting  is  in  substance  of  Divine  origin.  It  existed 
even  before  the  fall  of  man,  not,  as  now,  to  the  end  that  men  may 
satisfy  for  their  sins,  but  to  test  men's  obedience  to  God.  Had  our 
first  parents  kept  the  simple  fast  enjoined  upon  them  in  Eden,  we 
should  not  have  to  keep  the  much  harder  fast  imposed  on  us  to-day. 
After  the  fall  we  find  that  God  time  and  time  again  enjoined  a  fast 
upon  men.  "Be  converted  to  Me  with  all  your  heart,  in  fasting  and 
in  weeping,"  are  the  words  He  spoke  by  the  mouth  of  His  prophet 
Joel.  Moses  fasted  forty  days  in  the  mount  with  God,  and  Elias,  in 
like  manner,  forty  days,  before  he  had  the  wondrous  vision  on 
Horeb.  Daniel  fasted;  the  Ninivites  fasted  at  the  preaching  of 
Jonas. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

When  you  fast,  he  not  as  the  hypocrites,  sad.  For  they  disfigure 
their  faces,  that  they  viay  appear  unto  men  to  fast.  Amen  I  say  to 
you,  they  have  received  their  reward. — But  thoti,  when  thou  fastest, 
anoint  thy  head  and  znash  thy  face. — That  thou  appear  not  to  men  to 
fast,  but  to  thy  Father  who  is  in  secret:  and  thy  Father  who  secth 
tn  secret  will  repay  thee. — Matt.  VI,  t6-i8. 


FASTING  307 

Be  converted  to  Me  with  all  your  heart,  in  fasting,  and  in  weeping, 
and  in  mourning. — Joel  II,  12. 

FASTING 

Preparation  of  the  soil,  in  the  spiritual  order,  is  effected  by  fast- 
ing. This  is  one  main  way  in  which  fasting  is  a  means  of  grace. 
It  is  a  means  by  which  the  soul  is  prepared  for  the  reception  of 
grace  and  freed  from  the  evil  passions  that  stifle  the  growth  of 
virtue.  And  it  is  by  all  odds  the  most  effective  means.  In  order 
to  secure  a  thorough  amendment  of  life  it  is  needful  to  pluck  up  sin 
by  the  roots.  Evil  weeds  grow  apace,  and,  as  long  as  their  roots 
remain  in  the  soil,  they  will  continue  to  grow.  The  man  who  is  sorry 
for  his  sins  and  confesses  them  receives  pardon.  But  if  he  takes  no 
steps  to  remove  the  roots  of  sin  that  remain  in  the  form  of  evil 
habits,  the  purpose  of  amendment  implied  in  his  sorrow  for  sin  is 
almost  sure  to  be  fruitless.  The  old  evil  passions  of  his  nature  will 
resume  their  former  sway.  It  is  of  little  use  cutting  down  bad  weeds 
if  you  leave  their  roots  in  the  ground;  they  will  be  sure  to  sprout 
again.  This  is  especially  true  of  sins  of  the  flesh,  which  are  pre- 
eminently the  bad  weeds  of  our  corrupt  nature.  As  men  we  are 
part  beast  and  part  angel;  if  we  feed  the  beast  fat,  we  starve  the 
angel.  The  only  way  to  develop  what  is  best  in  us,  the  spiritual, 
the  angelic  element  of  our  nature,  is  to  starve,  or  at  any  rate  to  re- 
frain from  feeding  overmuch,  the  bestial  element.  Hence,  it  is  that 
the  Apostle  (II  Cor.  vi,  5,  6)  couples  "fastings"  with  "chastity,"  for 
without  mortification  of  the  flesh  the  angelic  virtue  can  hardly,  if  at 
all,  be  cultivated. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

THE  PURPOSE  OF  FASTING 

The  Church,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  prescribes 
fasting  to  her  children  for  many  reasons :  as  a  means  of  doing 
penance  for  the  sins  they  have  committed;  of  keeping  from  the  sins 
occasioned  by  indulging  too  freely  in  eating  and  drinking;  as  a  means 
of  averting  misfortunes  or  Divine  punishments ;  of  obtaining  favours 
from  the  Divine  Goodness ;  of  learning  how  to  control  our  appetite 
and  mastering  our  passions ;  of  detaching  us  from  worldly  goods  and 
enjoyments  frivolous  and  transitory;  and  of  inducing  us  to  aspire 
after  those  that  are  heavenly,  noble,  perfect  and  everlasting.  Fasting 
also  gives  us  opportunities  for  almsgiving,  so  that  we  may  give  to 
the  poor  what  we  spare  by  our  fasts.  Moreover,  it  wards  off  number- 
less diseases  caused  by  over-indulging  the  appetite,  for  experience 
proves  that  those  who  grant  their  appetite  everything  it  craves  do 
not  enjoy  good  health,  but  are  a  prey  to  various  diseases,  which 
render  them  miserable  and  shorten  life.  With  good  reason  does  the 
Church  sing  in  one  of  the  Prefaces  of  the  Mass :  "Thou,  by  means 
of  corporal  fast,  boldest  the  vices  in  check,  elevatest  the  mind  and 
impartest  strength  and  rewards."  Fasting,  therefore,  holds  our 
passions  in  check,  raises  our  mind  heavenward,  gives  us  strength 
to  overcome  our  passions  and  to  avoid  sin,  and  is  deserving  of 
endless  reward.  "Fasting,'  says  St.  Leo,  "has  ever  been  the  nourish- 
ment of  virtue.     Abstinence  is  the  source  of  chaste  thoughts,  wise 


308    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

resolves  and  salutary  counsel.     By  mortification  the  flesh  dies  to  its 
concupiscences  and  the  spirit  is  renewed  in  virtue." 

— Ferreol  Girardey,  C.  SS.  R. 

WHY  DO  WE   FAST? 

We  fast  chiefly  for  three  reasons:  First,  in  order  to  repress  fleshly 
concupiscence;  wherefore  the  Apostle  says,  "In  fastings:  in  chastity," 
since  chastity  is  preserved  by  fasting  .  .  .  Secondly,  we  fast  in 
order  that  the  mind  may  be  the  more  easily  lifted  up  to  the  thought  of 
heavenly  things  .  .  .  ;  and,  thirdly,  we  fast  in  order  to  make 
satisfaction  for  our  sins;  whence  it  is  written  in  the  Prophet  Joel: 
"Be  converted  to  Me  with  all  your  heart,  in  fasting  and  in  weeping, 
and  in  mourning"  (Joel  ii,  12). — St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

FASTIXG  IN  BODY  AND  IN  SPIRIT 

To  deny  one's  body  nourishment  has  little  value  if  at  the  same 
time  the  heart  and  sense  revel  in  pleasures. — Albertus  Magnus. 

THE  OBSERVANCE  OF  LENT 

The  observance  of  Lent  is  the  very  badge  of  the  Christian  war- 
fare. By  it  we  prove  ourselves  not  to  be  enemies  of  the  Cross  of 
Christ.  By  it  we  avert  the  scourges  of  Divine  Justice.  By  it  we  gam 
strength  against  the  prince  of  darkness,  for  it  shields  us  with 
heavenly  help.  Should  mankind  grow  remiss  in  their  observance  of 
Lent,  it  would  be  a  detriment  to  God's  glory,  a  disgrace  to  the 
Christian  religion,  and  a  danger  to  Christian  souls.  Neither  can  it 
be  doubted  but  that  such  negligence  would  become  the  source  of 
misery  to  the  world,  of  public  calamity,  and  of  private  woe. 

—Benedict  XIV. 

ALMS 

TO  PRAYER  AND  FASTING  ALMS-DEEDS    BITST  BE   ADDED 

To  prayer  let  us  unite  fasting  and  alms.  Fasting  is  indeed  most 
intimately  connected  with  prayer;  for  the  mind  of  those  who  are 
loaded  with  meat  and  drink  is  so  pressed  down  as  not  to  be  able 
to  raise  itself  to  the  contemplation  of  God,  or  to  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  prayer.  Alms-deeds  come  next,  and  have  also  intimate 
connection  with  prayer;  for  who  would  dare  to  say  that  he  is  endued 
with  charity,  who,  possessing  the  means  of  acting  kindly  to  those  who 
subsist  on  the  mercy  of  others,  assists  not  a  neighbour  and  a  brother? 
or  in  what  language  shall  he  who  is  devoid  of  charity,  demand  the 
assistance  of  God,  unless,  while  he  implores  the  pardon  of  his  sin, 
he  at  the  same  time  humbly  beg  of  God  (to  grant  him)  charity?  This 
triple  remedy  was  therefore  Divinely  ordained  to  aid  man  towards 
the  attainment  of  salvation;  for,  whereas  by  sin  we  offend  God, 
wrong  our  neighbour,  or  injure  ourselves,  we  appease  the  wrath  of 
God  by  holy  prayer;  redeem  cur  offenses  against  man  by  alms-deeds; 
by  fasting  wash  away  the  defilements  of  our  past  life;  and  although 
they  each  avail  against  all  sorts  of  crimes,  yet  are  they  especially 
appropriate  and  adapted  to  each  of  those  sins  which  we  have 
mentioned. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


ALMS  809 

ALMS-CITING  E3IBRACES  ALL  WORKS  OF  MERCT 

The  special  work  of  Christian  charity  is  alms-giving.  Whatever 
is  done  out  of  compassion  for  God's  sake  to  relieve  those  that  are 
in  need  is,  in  a  true  sense,  an  alms.  This  is  so  great  a  means  of 
grace  that  it  is  reckoned  as  one  of  the  three  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven,  the  other  two  being  fasting  and  prayer.  Our  neighbour's 
needs  may  be  corporal  or  spiritual,  and  so  alms-giving  embraces 
both  the  spiritual  and  corporal  works  of  mercy.  And  as  it  is  a 
greater  and  better  work  to  relieve  the  needs  of  the  soul,  by  so  much 
as  the  soul  is  itself  better  and  more  precious  than  the  body,  so  the 
giving  of  spiritual  alms,  the  performance  of  the  spiritual  works  of 
mercy,  is  far  more  meritorious  than  the  giving  of  corporal  alms. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

ALMS 

Those  that  give  alms  only  to  those  they  consider  worthy,  have 
reason  to  pray  that  the  Lord  in  judging  them  will  not  follow  their 
example. — St.  Theresa. 

An  alms,  in  the  widest  sense,  is  anything  given  to  a  needy  person 
out  of  compassion.  In  this  sense  it  comprises  the  spiritual  as  well  as 
the  corporal  works  of  mercy,  for  man,  being  made  up  of  soul  and 
body,  must  have  the  needs  of  both  soul  and  body  supplied.  But  as 
a  work  of  penance,  of  reparation  for  sin,  an  alms  is  a  something  given 
to  relieve  the  bodily  or  temporal  needs  of  one's  neighbour. 

— Bishop   A.    MacDonald. 

Let  not  thy  hand  he  stretched  out  to  receive,  and  shut  when  thou 
shouldst  give. — Ecclus.  IV,  2)^. 

According  to  thy  ability  be  merciful. — //  thou  have  much,  give 
abundantly ;  if  thou  have  little,  take  care  even  so  to  bestow  willingly 
a  little.— Tob.  IV,  8-9. 

He  that  giveth  to  the  poor,  shall  not  want;  he  that  despiseth  his 
entreaty,  shall  suffer  indigence. — Frov.  XXVIII,  27. 

Prayer  is  good  with  fasting  and  alms,  more  than  to  lay  up  treasures 
of  gold: — For  alms  del.vcreth  from  death:  and  the  same  is  that  which 
purgeth  away  sins,  and  maketh  to  find  mercy  and  Life  Everlasting. 

—Tob.  XII,  8-9. 

Stretch  out  thy  hand  to  the  poor,  that  thy  expiation  and  thy  bless- 
ing may  be  perfected. — Ecclus.  VII,  36. 

He  that  stoppeth  his  ear  against  the  cry  of  the  poor,  shall  also  cry 
himself,  and  shall  not  be  heard. — Frov.  XXI,  13. 

He  that  is  inclined  to  mercy  shall  be  blessed;  for  of  his  bread  he 
hath  given  to  the  poor. — Frov.  XXII,  9. 

When  thou  dost  an  alms-deed,  sound  not  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as 
the  hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may 
be  honoured  by  men. — Matt.  VI,  2. 


310    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Make  unto  you  friends  of  the  mammon  of  iniquity,  that  when  you 
shall  fail  they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting  dwellings. 

—Luke  XVI,  9. 

ALMS  TO  BE  GIVEN   TOR  GOD'S  SAKE 

An  alms-deed  is  defined  as  something  given  out  of  compassion  to 
a  person  in  need.  But  unless  it  is  given  for  God's  sake,  it  is  not  a 
good  work  in  the  Christian  point  of  view,  I  mean  not  such  a  work 
as  can  merit  an  eternal  reward.  The  thing  given  may  belong  to  the 
spiritual  order  or  to  the  corporal;  it  may  be  for  the  soul  or  for  the 
body.  Hence  alms-deeds  are  coextensive  with  the  corporal  and 
spiritual  works  of  mercy.  The  corporal  works  are  seven  in  number, 
corresponding  to  seven  corporal  needs  of  our  neighbour  that  we  may 
be  called  on  to  supply.    These  needs  exist  in  life  or  just  after  death. 

— Bishop  A.  Mac  Donald. 

THE  RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE  UNCHARITABLE 

If  you  can  prevent  a  poor  man  from  starving  to  death,  by  giving 
him  food  and  drink,  and  do  not  do  so,  you  are  guilty  of  his  death. 

— St.  Ambrose. 

ALMS-DEEDS  NECESSARY 

With  our  means  and  by  our  cooperation  we  must  be  liberal  to 
the  poor,  and  this  by  that  very  true  argument  that,  on  the  day  of  final 
judgment,  God  will  abhor  and  consign  to  everlasting  fire  those  who 
shall  have  omitted  or  neglected  the  offices  of  charity,  but  will  invite 
in  the  language  of  praise,  and  introduce  into  their  heavenly  country, 
those  who  shall  have  acted  kindly  towards  the  poor.  Their  respective 
sentences  have  been  already  pronounced  by  the  lips  of  Christ  the 
Lord:  "Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  possess  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you"  (Matt.  XXV,  34,  41);  and:  "Depart  from  Me  ye  cursed 
into  everlasting  fire"  {ih.  V,  41). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

MONEY  A  PASSPORT  TO  HEAVEN 

Some  time  ago  there  was  a  newspaper  competition  for  the  best 
definition  of  money.  The  person  who  won  the  first  prize  defined 
money  as  the  passport  to  everywhere  except  Heaven.  For  superficial 
thinking  this  is  fairly  correct.  But  a  deeper  consideration  and  a 
wider  application  might  show  it  to  be  false  in  every  word.  For  with 
some  people  it  might  happen  that  money  were  the  passport  to  nowhere 
except  Heaven.  Misapplied,  it  can  be  the  cause  of  all  evil;  whilst 
rightly  applied,  it  can  be  the  instrumental  cause  of  supreme  happiness. 

— Thomas  J.   Gerrard. 


THE    CARDINAL    VIRTUES 

FORTITUDE 

The  torture  of  death  could  not  make  the  martyrs  faithless  but 
we  are  made  faithless  by  a  little  money. — St.  Thomas  of  Villanova. 

Fortitude  is  that  moral  virtue  which  makes  us  face  any  danger, 
and  even  death  itself,  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  If  justice,  or  honesty, 
is  the  very  framework  of  character,  fortitude  is  the  bracing  and  the 


THE    CARDINAL    VIRTUES  311 

strength  of  it.  Justice  dictates  the  doing  of  what  is  right,  but  it  is 
fortitude  that  says,  "Let  the  right  be  done  though  the  heavens  should 
fall."  This  virtue  is  popularly  known  as  courage,  or  pluck,  or  grit. 
But  many  a  man  who  would  pass  with  the  world  as  courageous  or 
plucky  might  quite  lack  the  moral  virtue  of  fortitude.  A  man  may 
show  great  courage  in  doing  what  is  wrong,  whereas  it  is  only  in 
doing  what  is  right  that  he  shows  fortitude.  Again,  some  very  rash 
deeds  may  be  quite  plucky,  but  the  man  of  true  fortitude  never  does 
rash  things.  Once  more,  fortitude  consists  not  merely  in  doing  and  in 
daring,  but  also  in  enduring.  Indeed  the  very  highest  degree  of 
Christian  fortitude,  which  is  one  of  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Moly  Ghost, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  martyr  who  endures  torments  and  death  rather 
than  betray  the  Faith. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

TEMPERANCE 

Temperance  is  the  virtue  which  holds  the  animal  passions  in  check, 
and  makes  them  obey  the  rule  of  right  reason.  Its  special  oflfice  is 
to  impose  moderation  in  the  use  of  sensible  pleasures.  It  is  thus 
opposed  to  the  two  capital  sins  of  gluttony  and  lust,  the  former  of 
which  includes  all  excess  in  eating  and  in  drinking.  It  embraces  as 
its  subject  virtues,  abstinence,  sobriety,  modesty,  chastity,  as  also 
meekness,  which  restrains  the  passion  of  anger.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  sobriety  is  but  one  phase  of  temperance,  so  to  say,  though  in 
popular  usage,  the  two  words  are  made  to  mean  one  and  the  same 
thing.  Sobriety  is  opposed  not  so  much  to  the  use  as  to  the  abuse  of 
strong  drink,  and  the  resulting  vice  of  drunkenness,  one  of  the  worst 
and  most  degrading  of  vices.  "Temperance  is  good,  total  abstinence 
is  better,"  was  the  motto  of  Cardinal  Manning,  one  of  the  greatest 
apostles  of  temperance.  Nor  will  any  one  question  the  truth  or 
the  wisdom  of  the  motto  who  realizes  how  dangerous  and  stealthy 
a  foe  is  intoxicating  drink.  At  the  same  time  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  sobriety  is  the  essential  thing,  and  that  the  man  who 
rigidly  abstains  from  all  intoxicants  may  be  very  far  indeed  from 
practicing  the  cardinal  virtue  of  temperance.  Lust  works  greater 
havoc  in  souls  than  even  drunkenness,  and  chastity  as  a  moral  virtue 
takes  the  palm  from  sobriety.  It  is  to  the  chaste  especially,  to  "the 
clean  of  heart,"  Our  Lord  has  promised  that  "they  shall  see  God." 
This,  of  course,  does  not  mean  that  sobriety  is  not  a  great  virtue  and 
necessary  to  salvation.  It  only  means  that  chastity  is  greater,  and  if 
that  were  possible,  even  more  necessary. — Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

PRUDENCE 

The  Greeks  of  old,  who  set  great  store  by  the  practice  of  moral 
virtues,  called  prudence  "the  charioteer."  The  business  of  the  man 
who  drives  the  chariot  is  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  on  the  horses  to  rein 
them  in  when  they  are  too  fiery,  to  urge  them  on  when  they  lag,  and 
to  keep  them  in  the  right  road,  letting  them  swerve  from  their  course 
neither  to  this  side  nor  to  that.  Like  unto  this  is  the  office  of  pru- 
dence. It  is  the  virtue  that  guides  the  steps  of  man  in  the  journey  of 
life,  and  enables  him  to  keep  the  golden  mean  wherein  lies  moral 
virtues — for  vice  lies  ever  in  extremes.  Thus,  the  man  who  gives  of 
his  means  too   freely  is  a  spendthrift,  while  the  man  who  stints  in 


312    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

giving  is  apt  to  become  a  miser.  Too  much  of  even  the  very  best 
thing  is  good  for  nothing;  too  Httle  is  short  of  enough.  Prudence 
teaches  us  what  to  do,  and  when  to  do  it,  and  how  much  to  do  at  a 
time.  It  preserves  justice  from  undue  severity,  sets  reasonable  bounds 
to  temperance,  and  keeps  fortitude  from  passing  into  rashness. 
Christian  prudence,  or  counsel,  is  one  of  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
It  guides  us  by  a  higher  Hght  than  that  of  reason,  and  its  dictates 
often  run  counter  to  those  of  the  merely  natural  virtue. 

— Bishop  A.  MacDonald. 

PRUDENCE   IN    SPEECH 

In  dealing  with  men  we  must  speak  little  and  listen  much,  and  the 
little  we  do  say  must  be  said  as  if  it  was  to  be  heard  by  all  the  world, 
even  though  we  are  speaking  to  one  alone. — St.  Ignatius. 

ST.  ANTHONY'S   DECISION 

Many  monks  had  come  to  St.  Anthony  from  various  parts,  in  order 
to  discuss  which  was  the  virtue  whereby  one  might  climb  with 
security  to  the  heights  of  perfection.  Some  thought  austerity  of  life, 
with  watchings  and  fastings,  to  be  the  most  necessary  virtue;  others 
held  perfect  contempt  of  earthly  things  to  be  of  still  greater  im- 
portance; while  others  again  thought  solitude,  charity,  etc.,  each  one 
exalting  different  virtues,  according  to  his  inclinations  and  graces,  and 
giving  reasons  for  the  opinions  he  held.  At  length  the  great  St. 
Anthony  arose,  and,  while  praising  all  the  various  virtues  named  by 
the  others,  said  that  Prudence  inspired  by  the  love  of  God  seemed  to 
him  of  all  others  the  one  virtue  which  best  enabled  man  to  reach 
perfection,  for  it  controlled  him  in  the  practice  of  the  oi'hers,  keeping 
him  from  the  two  extremes  of  excess  and  defect.  After  developing 
the  subject  and  explaining  his  reasons,  St.  Anthony  found  his  brother 
monks  agreed  with  him  that  Prudence  is  that  virtue  which  leads  most 
securely  to  God. — Cassian. 

The  prudent  man  sazv  the  evil,  and  hid  himself :  the  simple  passed 
on,  and  suffered  loss. — Prov.  XXII,  3. 

Have  confidence  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart,  and  lean  not  upon 
thy  own  prudence. — In  all  thy  ways  think  on  Him,  and  He  will  direct 
thy  steps. — Be  not  wise  in  thy  own  conceit:  fear  God,  and  depart  from 
evil. — Prov.  Ill,  5-7. 

PRUDENCE  IN  MAKING   VOWS 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  had  a  great  devotion  to  Our  Blessed  Lady. 
To  testify  to  her  how  much  he  loved  her,  he  made  a  vow  to  say 
every  day  of  his  life  a  certain  portion  of  the  Holy  Rosary  in  her 
honour,  which  vow  he  carefully  fulfilled  all  his  lifetime.  Now  it 
happened  that  a  certain  young  man,  who  was  very  pious,  and  who 
also  had  a  great  love  for  the  holy  Mother  of  God,  having  heard  of 
this  vow  that  St.  Francis  had  made,  thought  he  would  prove  his 
sincerity  of  his  love  for  Mary  in  the  same  manner.  He  went  to  the 
Saint  to  tell  him  of  his  intention.  He  was  surprised  when  St.  Francis 
said:  "Don't  do  it.  Be  careful  never  to  make  that  vow."  The  young 
man  said:  "You,  my  Father,  did  so  when  you  were  young  like  me, 


THE   CARDINAL    VIRTUES  813 

and  why  do  you  refuse  to  allow  me  to  follow  your  example."  "It 
is  just  because  I  was  young  when  I  made  that  vow  that  I  say  to  you 
now  not  to  make  it.  I  am  older  now,  and  it  is  because  I  have  learned 
much  by  experience  that  I  give  you  this  advice.  I  do  not  tell  you 
not  to  say  the  Rosary ;  on  the  contrary,  I  advise  you  and  exhort  you 
to  say  it  every  day,  because  it  is  a  prayer  exceedingly  dear  to  the 
Blessed  Mother  of  God.  Let  this  be  a  firm  resolution  on  your  pait, 
but  not  a  vow,  because  then  if  you  will  sometimes  omit  it,  you  will 
not  commit  a  sin." 

PKl;DE^•CE  IN  FERVOUR 

Great  harm  is  done  by  the  indiscreet  fervour  which  overlades 
the  boat.  The  boat  must  not  be  empty,  for  it  would  then  be  upset 
by  the  wind  of  temptations,  but  to  lade  it  so  that  it  sinks  is  yet  worse. 

— St.  Ignatius. 

MODERATION   TO   BE  OBSERVED   IN   FULFILLING   OUR   DUTIES 

Those  who  live  in  the  world  must  concern  themselves  about  many 
things;  they  have  domestic  duties  and  civic  duties,  duties  of  earning 
and  duties  of  spending,  the  duties  of  self-cultivation,  of  providing  for 
the  future,  and  of  recreation,  duties  in  science,  duties  in  politics.  To 
these  they  must  devote  their  energies ;  it  is  praiseworthy  for  them 
to  do  so;  it  may  even  be  supernatural  virtue;  yet  in  all  this  there 
may  be  sin. 

There  is  moderation  to  be  observed  and  due  order,  even  in  one's 
most  sacred  duties.  These  cease  to  be  duties  and  become  transgres- 
sions when  they  come  into  conflict  with  higher  duties.  We  are 
bound  to  intermit  themi  at  times  in  order  to  perform  our  duties  to 
God;  and  in  this  there  is  a  sacrifice,  not  indeed  of  duties,  but  of 
something  additional  that  might  be  done  to  advance  the  interests  of 
ourselves,  our  family,  our  country.  This  is  where  excess  comes  in 
and  sin. — Bishop  Bcllord. 

Above  all  these  things  pray  to  the  Most  High,  that  He  may 
direct  thy  way  in  truth. — A  wise  man  instructeth  his  ozvn  people. 

—Ecclus.  XXXVII,  19,  26. 

He  that  answereth  before  he  heareth  showeth  himself  to  be  a 
fool,  and  worthy  of  confusion. — Prov.  XVIII,   13. 

The  zvisdovi  of  the  flesh  is  death:  but  the  zvisdom  of  the  spirit 
is  life  and  peace. — Because  the  wisdom  of  the  flesh  is  an  enemy 
to  God;  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  can  it  be. 

—Rom.  VIII,  6-7. 

/  saiv  that  wisdom  excelled  folly  as  much  as  light  differ eth  from 
darkness. — The  eyes  of  a  wise  man  are  in  his  head:  the  fool  walketh 
in  darkness. — Eccl.  II,  13-14. 

To  fear  God  is  the  fulness  of  wisdom. — Ecclus.  I,  20. 


314    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

JUSTICE 

Justice  is  the  virtue  that  inclines  us  to  give  every  one  his  due. 
As  the  rule  and  measure  of  the  dealings  of  man  with  man  in  the 
ordinary  affairs  of  life,  it  is  known  as  honesty.  Of  character  this 
is  the  very  cornerstone.  Given  that  a  man  is  really  honest,  even 
if  he  lack  the  other  virtues  and  be  held  fast  in  the  bonds  of  many 
evil  habits,  there  is  always  hope  of  his  ultimate  reform.  But  if  he 
lack  honesty,  his  reform  is  well  nigh  hopeless.  If  a  person  is  not 
honest  with  men,  neither  will  he  be  honest  with  his  God.  The  worst 
form  of  dishonesty  is  that  which  denies  to  God  what  is  His  due. 
Indeed  all  dishonesty  has  its  root  in  the  want  of  the  knowledge  and 
of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  who  is  the  Fount  of  Justice  and  will  render 
to  every  man  according  to  his  works.  The  true  servant  of  God  is 
known  in  Scripture  as  a  "just  man,"  one  who  is  straightforward  in 
his  dealings  with  God  and  man.  A  constant  source  of  temptation  to 
dishonesty  is  greed,  or  the  love  of  money,  for  which  reason,  perhaps, 
the  Apostle  calls  it  "the  root  of  all  evil."  We  must  overcome  it  by 
pondering  often  those  words  of  Our  Lord,  "What  doth  it  profit  a 
man  to  gain  the  whole  world  if  he  lose  his  own  soul  ?" 

— Bishop  A.  Mac  Donald. 

Do  not  any  unjust  thing  in  judgment,  in  rule,  in  'weight,  or  in 
measure. — Lev.  XIX,  35. 

The  just  shall  live  for  evermore:  and  their  reward  is  with  the 
Lord,  and  the  care  of  them  with  the  Most  High. — Therefore  shall 
they  receive  a  kingdom  of  glory  and  a  crown  of  beauty  at  the  hand 
of  the  Lord:  for  with  His  right  hand  He  will  cover  them,  and  with 
His  holy  arm  He  will  defend  them. — IVisd.  V.  16-17. 

Unless  your  justice  abound  more  than  that  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

—Matt.  V,  20. 

MEEKNESS 

Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  hath  not  imputed  sin,  and 
in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile. — Ps.  XXXI,  2. 

MEEKNESS  IS  STRENGTH  OF  CHARACTER 

One  interesting  illustration  of  the  strength  of  character  implied 
in  the  virtue  of  meekness  is  furnished  by  the  life-history  of  the 
great  opponent  of  the  Turks  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the  illustrious 
Scanderbeg,  King  of  Albania.  In  that  century  the  Turks  under 
Mahomet  II.  again  and  again  menaced  the  Christianity  of  Europe 
by  v^^ars  of  invasion  and  conquest.  But  again  and  again  they  were 
heroically  repulsed  by  Scanderbeg  with  much  smaller  armies.  One 
historian  declares  that  "there  appeared  in  Scanderbeg  something 
almost  above  human  nature;  and  it  is  certain  that  very  few  generals 
have  been  equal  to  him  in  firmness  of  mind,  strength  of  body,  heroic 
valour,  and  brilliant  success.     He  gained  twenty-two  victories  over 


MEEKNESS  315 

the  Ottomans,  whilst  they  were  in  the  height  of  their  power  and 
under  the  most  energetic  of  their  sultans.  .  .  .  He  not  only  dis- 
played the  intrepidity  of  a  warrior,  and  the  talents  of  a  consummate 
general,  but  also  practiced  the  social  and  Christian  virtues  in  a 
high  degree  of  perfection.  Most  historians  represent  him  as  the 
mildest  of  men ;  and  yet,  such  was  the  struggle  within  him  whenever 
he  met  with  great  opposition,  that  his  lower  lip  would  split  and 
bleed ;  whence  we  may  conclude  that,  as  he  was  naturally  much 
inclined  to  anger,  his  great  mildness  must  have  been  the  effect  of  a 
sublime  virtue,  and  of  an  extraordinary  violence  which  he  offered  to 
himself." — Hugh  T.  Henry. 

THE   POV.'ER   OF   GENTLENESS 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  said  once:  "I  am  now  84  years  old  and 
during  my  whole  life  I  used  severe  censure  only  three  times, 
and  exactly  these  three  times  I  did  not  gain  my  object,  whereas  I 
always  succeeded  with  gentleness." 

St.  Monica,  the  mother  of  St.  Augustine,  was  the  wife  of  a  very 
violent,  hot-tempered  man,  but  she  understood  so  well  how  to  treat 
him,  and  how  to  preserve  a  friendly  exterior,  tliat  there  was  never 
an  open  quarrel  between  them.  Other  women,  knowing  the  man's 
angry  disposition,  once  expressed  their  surprise  at  this  fact,  but 
St.  Monica  replied:  '1  obey  the  husband  given  me  as  my  master. 
If  I  see  that  he  is  in  a  bad  temper,  I  take  care  not  to  contradict  him; 
but  when  he  is  calm  again,  I  show  him  quietly  that  he  had  no  reason 
to  be  angry  with  me."  St.  Monica  did  not  only  live  at  peace  with 
her  husband,  but  by  her  patience  and  gentleness  she  at  last  succeeded 
in  converting  him  to  the  Faith. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

My  son,  keep  thy  soul  in  meekness,  and  give  it  honour  according 
to  its  desert. — Who  will  justify  him  that  sinneth  against  his  own 
soul?  and  who  wid  honour  him  that  dishonoureth  his  own  soul? 

— Ecclus.  X,  31,32. 

A  mild  anszver  hreaketh  wrath:  hut  a  harsh  word  stirreth  up 
fury. — Prov.  XV,  i. 

THE    WAY    OF   PERFECTION 

THE  FOUR  ELEMENTS  OF  SUPERNATURAL  LITE 

The  elements  of  the  supernatural  life  are  conveyed  to  us  by  faith, 
acting  through  an  organization  authorized  by  God — the  Church. 
They  are:  i.  Truths  to  be  known;  the  existence  of  God  and  His 
nature,  the  nature  and  destiny  of  our  souls,  our  fallen  state  and  the 
economy  of  redemption,  the  future  life  eternal  for  reward  or  punish- 
ment, the  spiritual  government  by  which  God  rules  men  on  earth. 
These  are  more  real  to  us  than  tlie  impressions  of  sense  or  of  reason, 
and  far  more  important;  they  are  a  strong  incentive  to  action  and  a 
comfort  in  suli'ering;  they  are  a  new  world  in  which  we  move 
unperceived  by  others. 


316    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

2.  Laws  to  obey.  We  are  bidden  to  seek  the  next  world  rather 
than  this,  to  submit  our  intellect  to  uncomprehended  doctrines,  to 
renounce  our  pleasures,  to  subvert  the  natural  order  and  make  the 
first  last,  i.  e.,  self,  by  means  of  humility,  charity  and  obedience  to 
control  all  those  natural  impulses  to  which  we  are  most  strongly 
drawn.  Here  are  motives  directly  contrary  to  those  which  sense 
and   unaided   reason   give   us. 

3.  Aids  to  strengthen  us:  prayer  to  the  invisible  and  the  Sacra- 
ments, whose  outward  aspects,  as  viewed  by  sense  or  mere  reason,  are 
inadequate  to  their  great  efforts. 

4.  An  ideal  to  imitate  which  sense  and  reason  alone  would 
reject.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  not  glorified  but  despised,  suffering, 
degraded  by  the  Cross,  with  no  comeliness  that  we  should  desire 
Him.  This  ideal  was  a  stumbling-block  to  the  sensual  Jews,  foolish- 
ness to  the  keen  intellect  of  the  cultivated  Greek,  unmanly  weakness 
to  the  stern  race  who  ruled  a  hundred  nations  from  the  Capitol  at 
Rome.  Such  is  "the  true  light  that  enlighleneth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  this  world";  but  which  is  enjoyed  only  by  those  "who 
are  born  not  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God"   (John  i,  8-13). — Bishop  Bellord. 


THE  rSNEB  LIFE 

"If  there  is  one  thing  more  than  another,"  writes  a  shrewd 
observer  from  the  other  side  of  the  pale,  "that  attracts  me  towards 
Catholicism  as  a  religious  system,  it  is  its  psychology  and  its  spiritual 
exercises  by  which  you  build  up  the  Divine  inner  life.  Other  churches 
and  sects  seem  to  me  to  leave  this  important  work  too  much  to 
guess-work  and  casual  inspirations." 

The  inner  life  of  man  is  so  much  more  important  than  the 
outer  as  its  events  are  so  much  more  numerous.  Our  exterior  actions 
are  limited  in  their  range,  sometimes  but  few  in  a  day,  or  extended 
over  a  length  of  time,  and  not  very  various  in  their  kinds.  But 
for  one  good  action  or  one  bad  action  there  may  have  been  hundreds 
of  distinct  movements  of  the  will ;  during  one  protracted  piece  of 
work  ideas  and  desires  innumerable  may  have  been  rushing  through 
our  minds.  How  often  it  happens  that  a  man's  external  life  leaves 
many  of  his  faculties  unemployed  until  some  casual  opportunity 
gives  them  play.  But  they  have  worked  secretly.  We  are  struck 
by  some  heroic  deed  or  shocked  by  the  sudden  fall  of  one  who  has 
hitherto  stood  well.  We  do  not  understand  it;  it  seems  so  incon- 
sistent with  the  past.  Yet  it  is  not  an  isolated  fact;  it  is  one  of  many. 
It  is  only  the  visible  production  of  a  virtue  that  has  long  been 
forming,  or  of  a  sin  which  has  already  become  a  habit  through 
repealed  acts  of  the  will.  It  is  only  in  the  record  of  his  inner 
life  that  a  man's  whole  history  is  written,  and  all  the  elements  of 
his  character  do  their  work.  It  is  chiefly  in  the  recesses  of  his 
mind  that  the  battle  between  good  and  evil  is  fought  out.  That  is 
where  Satan  exerts  all  his  power  of  temptation  and  often  gains  a 
consent  to  the  thought  which  is  refused  to  the  action.     It  is  there 


THE    WAY    OP   PERFECTION  317 

exclusively  that  the  last  decisive  struggle  which  precedes  death  takes 
place,  of  which  the  issue  is  final  perseverance  or  final  impenitence. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

FOLLOWING   FN   THE   FOOTPRINTS  OF  CHRIST 

It  is  said  that  a  pious  monk  was  once  leading  a  band  of  followers 
upon  a  weary  pilgrimage  for  God  and  His  holy  cause.  Encountering 
many  hardships  and  confronted  by  many  dangers,  tliey  besought  the 
monk  to  turn  back.  They  were  so  weary  that  they  begged  they 
might  not  be  asked  to  go  further.  The  good  father  answered  their 
complainings  by  saying:  "Put  your  feet  in  the  prints  of  mine,  and 
you  will  journey  with  ease."  This  is  really  the  true  solution  of  many 
of  our  perplexities.  Tlie  rough  path  of  life  is  made  much  easier 
if  we  follow  in  the  footprints  of  Christ. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  SALVATION 

Almighty  God  made  all  things  by  a  simple  act  of  His  will,  but  in 
accomplishing  our  salvation  He  had  to  shed  His  Blood.  The  creation 
of  the  universe  only  cost  Him  one  word.  The  redemption  of  our 
soul  cost  Him  His  Blood.  We  revert  this  order,  we  take  our  salva- 
tion very  easy,  and  make  great  efforts  for  our  temporal  welfare. 

— St.  Theresa. 

LABOUR  FOR  YOUR  SALVATION 

A  young  anchorite  went  to  one  of  the  ancient  hermits  of  the 
desert,  and  asked  him  why  so  many  persons  were  trying  to  become 
perfect,  and  yet  so  few  really  reached  perfection.  The  old  hermit 
answered:  "To  become  perfect,  my  son,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  desire 
it;  one  must  labour  to  attain  it.  Now  so  very  few  reach  perfection 
because  they  do  not  mortify  themselves,  nor  curb  their  evil  inclina- 
tions." 

THE   DUTIES   OF   OUR   STATE 

Fidelity  to  the  duties  of  our  state  is  really  the  santification  of 
our  actions.  Our  Lord  gave  us  a  notable  example  of  this  conformity 
to  duty.  As  Bossuet  said :  Jesus,  though  He  was  God  as  well  as 
man,  handled  the  saw  and  the  plane.  The  valiant  woman  of  Scrip- 
ture turned  the  spindle  with  her  fingers  and  wove  the  wool.  The 
Apostles,  even  after  they  were  called,  laboured  as  fishermen,  and  St. 
Paul  was  a  tent-maker.  All  these  pleased  God  in  accepting  willingly 
and  performing  earnestly  the  duties  of  their  state.  God  wills  our 
personal  sanctification  by  the  performing  of  the  duties  of  our  con- 
dition, our  age,  profession,  and  even  our  social  position. 

—F.  X.  McGowan,  O.  S.  A. 

KNOWLEDGE  OF  SSLF 

For  advance  to  the  heights  of  spiritual  perfection  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  self  is  necessary.  The  Psalmist  indicates  the  method 
of  gaining  such  a  knowledge  in  the  direction  he  gives  to  our  thoughts 
towards  the  past  and  the  future.  The  duty  of  introspection  is  indeed 
a  duty  of  the  present  moment,  but  the  motives  of  it  are  drawn 
from  the  time  that  has  fled  and  the  years  that  are  to  come. 

"I  thought  of  the  days  of  old."  Whatever  other  meaning  may 
be  attached  to  these  words,  we  can  at  least  take  them  in  their 
most  obvious  signification  as  relating  to  the  past  life  of  the  speaker. 


318    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

Our  own  past,  "the  days  of  old,"  is  indeed  the  best  guide  to  fruitful 
knowledge  of  ourselves.  What  an  educator  that  past  is !  To  consider 
even  the  brief  space  of  the  year  which  is  now  ending,  what  a 
revelation  of  our  own  capabilities  and  our  own  delinquencies  it 
brings  to  us !  Our  own  life  is  before  us,  as  a  plain  viewed  from 
a  commanding  height.  "The  days  of  old,"  the  year  that  is  now 
closing  brings  before  us  the  good  we  have  performed,  and  the  evil 
for  which,  perhaps,  we  have  grieved ;  the  strength  too  seldom  mani- 
fested and  the  too  frequent  weakness  of  will;  the  noble  resistance 
to  temptation  and  again  the  too  ready  yielding;  the  conquest  over 
sin,  a  rare  triumph,  and  the  many  defeats.  If  the  thought  of  these 
serve  for  anything,  it  must  serve  to  impress  upon  us  the  dangers  to 
which  we  are  now  liable  and  will  be  liable  in  the  future.  Such  a 
knowledge,  to  the  honest  soul,  is  half  the  battle.  We  can  guide 
our  steps  aright  to-day  by  the  gravestones  that  lie  above  our  failures 
of  the  past. — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C  S.  P. 

NO  SECURITY  IN  THIS  LITE 

And  no  man  must  be  sure  in  this  life,  which  is  all  named  a 
temptation  (Job.  vii.)  lest,  as  he  may  have  been  made  of  worse 
better,  so  he  may  become  of  better  worse.  Our  only  hope,  our  only 
confidence,  our  only  security  is  Thy  mercy. — St.  Augustine. 

UNCERTAINTY   OF   SALVATION 

St.  Isidore  had  begun  to  serve  God  in  his  childhood,  and  had 
served  Him  faithfully  during  the  whole  of  his  life;  yet  he  was 
never  seen  to  smile,  and  was  always  sad.  One  of  his  disciples  once 
said  to  him:  "Father  Lsidore,  why  are  you  always  so  sad?  You 
always  seem  full  of  fear,  as  if  some  terrible  evil  were  about  to  fall 
upon  you."  "Aly  son,"  he  answered,  "I  am  afraid  that  I  may  not 
persevere  to  the  end,  and  that  my  soul  may  be  lost."  "But  you 
have  always  tried  to  serve  God,"  said  his  disciple ;  "why,  then, 
should  you  be  so  much  afraid,  since  God  has  promised  Heaven  to 
those  who  serve  Him  faithfully?"  The  Saint  answered:  "When  a 
poor  man  is  expecting  to  receive  a  rich  legacy  or  a  great  fortune, 
and  is  afraid  that  something  may  arise  to  deprive  him  of  it,  how 
can  he  have  an  easy  mind?  It  is  only  when  the  inheritance  is  given 
him  that  he  can  be  free  from  anxiety.  So  it  is  with  me.  I  have 
not  yet  received  the  crown  of  glory,  and  as  long  as  I  am  in  this 
world  I  am  in  danger  of  losing  it." 

There  are  just  men  and  wise  men,  and  their  works  are  in  the 
Hand  of  God;  and  yet  man  knozvcth  not  whether  he  be  zvorthy  of 
love  or  hatred. — But  all  things  are  kept  uneertain  for  the  time  to 
come,  because  all  things  equally  happen  to  the  just  and  to  the  wicked, 
to  the  good  and  to  the  evil,  to  the  clcati  and  to  the  unclean,  to  him 
that  offereth  victims   and   to   him   that   despiseth  sacrifices. 

—Eccl.  IX,   1-2. 

OPPORTUNITIES  TO  GROW  SPIRITUALLY 

Every  day,  almost  every  moment,  there  are  granted  to  man 
opportunities  to  grow  spiritually,  to  advance  the  soul  toward  that 
for   which   it   thirsts,   union   with    God.      Yet,    how   many   of   these 


THE    WAY   OF  PERFECTION  319 

opportunities  are  heeded?  In  the  great  question  of  eternal  Ufe  itself 
the  common  word  is:  "I  shall  put  off  attending  to  that  until  to- 
morrow.    To-morrow  will  be  time  enough." 

— Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

GRADUAL   PROGRESS 

It  has  been  a  commonly  accepted  principle  in  the  physical  world 
that  nature  does  not  go  by  leaps.  And  most  true  is  the  principle  and 
its  application  to  the  spiritual  order.  If  we  put  aside  tlie  penitent 
thief,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  St.  Paul,  who  were  quasi-exceptions 
proving  the  general  law,  those  who  have  come  to  be  the  great  Saints 
of  the  Church,  the  pillars  and  ground  of  truth,  as  it  were,  have 
grown  in  the  odour  of  sanctity  and  the  perfume  of  virtue  step  by 
step ;  the  Vincents  de  Paul  and  the  Francis'  de  Sales  have  slowly, 
but  surely,  added  cubits  to  their  spiritual  heights,  and  they  have 
ripened  in  their  season  and  in  their  time  as  the  luscious  fruit  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord. — /.  IV.  Sullivan. 

NOT  TO  ADVANCE  IS  TO  RECEDE 

St.  Augustine  said:  "We  cannot  prevent  ourselves  from  going 
backwards,  except  by  forcing  ourselves  to  go  forwards.  The  moment 
that  we  desist  from  our  efforts,  we  fall  back.  Not  to  advance  is  to 
recede.  Hence,  if  we  do  not  wish  to  go  backwards,  we  must  push 
on  without  ever  giving  ourselves  a  moment  of  repose."  Other  Fathers 
liken  the  Christian  in  this  world  to  a  man  seated  in  a  boat  on  a 
swiftly  flowing  river.  As  long  as  he  plies  the  oars,  he  makes  some 
progress — the  progress  of  at  least  not  going  backwards ;  but  the 
moment  he  ceases  to  labour,  he  is  carried  down  the  stream. 

WORLDLY  BENEFITS  MAY  NOT  BE  OF  ADVANTAGE  TO  OUR  SOUL 

A  poor  blind  man  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  tomb  of  St.  Thomas 
of  Canterbury.  He  went  there  to  ask  through  the  prayers  of  the 
Saint  the  recovery  of  his  sight.  His  prayer  was  granted,  and  he 
returned  home  cured.  When  the  first  transports  of  joy  were  over, 
he  remembered  that  in  his  prayer  to  the  Saint  he  had  omitted  to  add 
these  words:  "If  it  should  be  the  will  of  God,"  or  "if  God  should 
see  that  it  would  be  useful  for  my  salvation."  So  he  returned  to 
the  Saint's  tomb,  and  said:  "O  great  St.  Thomas,  I  thank  thee  for 
the  favour  thou  hast  obtained  for  me  from  God.  But  if  the  use 
of  my  eyes  should  prove  hurtful  to  me,  or  should  endanger  my  eternal 
salvation,  I  humbly  ask  of  thee  to  make  me  blind  again."  At  the 
same  moment  he  once  more  lost  the  use  of  his  eyes,  and  became 
blind  as  before.  He  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  in  preparing  for  a 
happy  death,  and  when  that  day  came  it  found  him  ready. 

EQUALITY  BEFORE  GOD 

A  holy  hermit  had  spent  so  many  years  in  the  practice  of  prayer 
and  penance  that  he  began  to  imagine  he  was  the  holiest  person 
in  the  world.  While  he  was  thinking  of  this,  God  made  known  to 
him  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  he  was  not  nearly  so  far  advanced 
in  perfection,  and  in  the  love  of  God,  as  a  certain  poor  waiting-maid 
in  a  hotel  in  the  city.  This  astonished  the  good  hermit.  "How 
can  it  be  possible,"  he  said  to  himself,  "that  a  simple  servant  can  be 


320    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

equal  to  me  in  virtue,  since  I  have  done  nothing  else  for  many  years 
but  fast  and  pray  contmually?  I  must  go  and  visit  her,  and  ask 
her  what  she  does  that  makes  her  more  agreeable  in  the  eyes  of 
God  than  I  am."  So  he  went  to  the  city,  and  easily  found  the 
person  of  whom  he  was  in  search.  He  told  her  what  God  had 
revealed  to  him  and  asked  her  to  let  him  know  what  great  practices 
of  piety  she  performed  that  made  her  more  perfect  than  he  was. 
"My  Father,"  she  replied,  "I  do  not  know  what  God  can  see  in  me 
that  can  please  Him  so  much ;  I  am  only  a  poor  simple  waiting-maid, 
and  I  have  no  learning.  All  that  I  can  say  is  that  I  endeavour  to 
perform  all  my  actions  with  the  greatest  care,  in  order  that  I  may 
please  God  and  do  His  blessed  will.  When  I  am  carrying  wood 
for  the  kitchen  fire,  I  think  of  the  love  of  Jesus  in  carrying  His 
Cross  for  me,  and  I  tell  Him  that  I  love  Him  because  He  is  so 
good ;  and  in  all  my  other  works  I  always  try  to  think  of  Him  in 
some  way  or  other."  The  hermit  returned  home,  thanking  God  for 
having  put  it  in  the  power  of  even  the  simplest  and  lowliest  of  His 
children  to  love  Him  as  much,  and  sometimes  even  more  than  those 
who  have   consecrated   themselves   entirely  to   His   service. 

A  SAINT  IN  THE  WORLD 

St.  Catherine  of  Genoa,  though  living  in  the  midst  of  the  world 
and  of  its  attractions,  led  the  life  of  a  religious  in  a  convent.  One 
day  a  member  of  a  religious  Order  said  to  her:  "Why  do  you  not 
renounce  the  world  altogether,  and  embrace  the  religious  life?  when 
retired  from  the  world  and  its  surroundings,  you  could  love  God 
more  fervently,  and  serve  Him  with  greater  devotion."  She  answered, 
"Are  we  not  best  in  the  place  to  which  God  has  called  us?  Until 
this  time  no  creature  or  any  created  thing  has  been  able  to  hinder 
me  from  loving  God  as  much  as  I  wished  and  as  much  as  I  was 
able." 

JOT 

There  is  a  joy,  which  is  not  given  to  the  wicked,  but  to  them 
that  freely  worship  thee,  whose  joy  Thou  Thyself  art.  And  this  is 
beatitude,  or  a  happy  life,  to  rejoice  to  Thee,  in  Thee,  and  for  Thee; 
this  is  it,  for  there  is  no  other.  But  they  that  think  there  is  some 
other  beatitude,  seek  after  some  other  joy  which  is  not  true,  and 
yet  they  will  still  follow  some  image,  at  least,  or  resemblance  of 
joy. — St.   Augustine. 

You  shall  be  glad  and  rejoice  for  ever  in  these  things,  which  I 
create:  for  behold,  I  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  the  people 
thereof  joy. — Is.  LXV,  i8. 

Everlasting  joy  shall  be  upon  their  heads:  they  shall  obtain 
joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  mourning  shall  flee  away. 

—Ps.  XXXV,  10. 

THE  WAT  TO  JOTFCLNESS 

To  obtain  the  spirit  of  Christian  joyfulness,  we  must  carefully 
preserve  in  our  hearts  His  sanctifying  grace.  Next,  we  must  con- 
stantly praise  and  thank  God ;  and.  thirdl)',  we  must  use  our  heartiest 


THE   WAY  OF  PERFECTION  821 

endeavours  to  he  joyful  in  the  Lord.  There  is  an  adage  which  says 
that  "No  one  knows  what  he  can  do  till  he  tries,"  and  so  it  is  with 
this  duty  of  Christian  joy.  If  we  try  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  we 
shall  find  that  our  troubles  will  lose  their  bitterness,  and  be  changed 
into  sources  of  grace  and  merit  before  God. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  SOURCE  OF  HAPPINESS 

It  is  idle  to  seek  happiness  in  affairs  of  the  world.  We  are  told 
that  Alexander  sought  happiness  in  conquest;  Caesar's  idea  was 
power;  that  of  Croesus,  zvcallh;  Solomon  only  thought  of  wisdom, 
Sardanapalus  of  pleasure,  and  Plato  of  intellectual  culture,  and  yet 
these  men  did  not  find  happiness. 

SPIKITUAL  JOY 

There  is  one  means  of  overcoming  our  foe,  namely,  spiritual  joy, 
and  the  abiding  consciousness  of  a  soul  that  is  in  the  grace  of  God  and 
which,  dispelling  as  smoke  the  childish  suggestions  of  the  foe,  follows 
up  in  pursuit  instead  of  shrinking  back  in  fear. — St.  Anthony. 

At  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  however  trying,  it  is 
the  duty  of  a  Christian  to  strive  after  the  spirit  of  thanksgiving; 
after  a  holy  cheerfulness  and  a  serene  joy.  It  is  one  of  tbe  chief 
works  of  the  Saints  and  of  holy  persons  that  they  are  always  cheerful, 
even  under  the  greatest  trials.  You  have  heard  of  that  holy  religious 
whose  constant  saying,  whatever  happened,  was  "Deo  gratMs," 
"Thanks  be  to  God,"  so  that  amongst  his  fellow-monks  he  went  by 
the  name  of  "Brother  Deo  Gratias."  In  this  habit  he  imitated  St. 
Paul,  who,  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  exclaims,  "I  am  filled  with 
comfort,  I  exceedingly  abound  with  joy  in  all  our  tribulation"  (II  Cor. 
vii,  4),  and  of  whom  we  read  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  that  he  and 
Silas,  having  been  beaten  with  many  stripes,  and  thrusi  into  an 
inner  prison  with  their  feet  in  the  stocks,  prayed  and  praised  God 
aloud,  so  that  the  voice  of  their  praise  was  heard  at  midnight  by  all 
that  were  in  prison. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

THE  WISDOM  OF  THE  CRUCIFIX 

When  St.  Bonaventure  was  teaching  theology  in  Paris,  and  was 
drawing  upon  himself  the  admiration  of  everyone  by  his  learned 
writings,  it  happened  that  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  went  to  see  him 
one  day.  He  asked  him  to  show  him  the  books  out  of  which  he 
drew  so  much  profound  learning.  St.  Bonaventure  led  him  into  the 
little  room  where  he  studied,  and  showed  him  a  few  ordinary  books 
that  lay  upon  the  table.  But  St.  Thomas  told  him  that  there  must 
be  other  books  from  which  he  drew  his  deep  learning.  The  Saint  then 
showed  him  a  little  oratory,  in  which  was  suspended  a  crucifix. 
"This,  my  Father,  is  my  only  other  book;  it  is  the  principal  one 
I  use,  and  from  which  I  learn  all  that  I  teach  and  all  that  I  write. 
Yes,  it  is  in  casting  myself  upon  my  knees  at  the  foot  of  the 
crucifix,  and  in  praying  here  for  light  in  my  difficulties  and  doubts, 
that  I  have  made  more  progress  in  the  sciences,  and  have  obtained 
more  true  knowledge,  tnan  i  should  have  done  by  reading  all  the 
books  in  the  world." 


322    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

THE  LESSOX  OF  THE  CROSS 

St.  Vincent,  having  for  a  long  time  in  vain  exhorted  a  hardened 
sinner  to  repent  before  he  should  meet  his  Judge,  gave  him  one  day 
a  little  picture  representing  our  Saviour  falling  under  the  weight  of 
His  Cross.  "Take  this  little  picture,  my  friend,"  he  said  to  him, 
"and  keep  it  in  remembrance  of  the  words  I  have  just  spoken  to 
you,  and,  as  a  favour,  I  beg  of  you  to  promise  me  that  you  will 
look  at  it  for  a  few  minutes  every  night  before  retiring  to  rest, 
and  think  at  the  same  time  of  the  sufferings  which  Jesus  endured  for 
you  when  He  carried  His  Cross  and  fell  so  frequently  under  it. 
You  will  then  say  to  yourself:  'How  long  shall  I,  by  my  sins,  leave 
Him  to  lie  under  the  heavy  Cross?  How  long  shall  I  see  him  suffer- 
ing for  me,  without  freeing  Him  from  them,  since  it  is  in  my 
power?'"  When  the  Saint  returned  to  visit  him  he  found  him 
entirely  changed.  "O  my  Father,"  he  said,  "I  could  get  no  peace 
when  I  thought  of  my  Saviour  suffering  when  it  was  in  my  power 
to  relieve  Him.  So  I  am  resolved  to  sin  no  more,  and  to  make  up  by 
my  good  life  for  the  time  to  come  for  all  that  I  have  caused 
Jesus  to  suffer  by  my  sins." 

RESISTING  PASSIONS 

It  is  then  by  resisting  our  passions,  that  we  are  to  find  true  peace 
of  heart,  and  not  by  being  slaves  to  them. 

There  is  no  peace,  therefore,  in  the  heart  of  a  carnal  man,  nor  in 
a  man  that  is  addicted  to  outward  things,  but  only  in  a  fervent 
spiritual  man. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

THE  GRACE  OF  GOD  AND  THE  BURDEN  OF  LIFE 

An  old  man  was  walking  along  the  road  with  a  heavy  load  of 
fire-wood  on  his  shoulders.  As  he  was  old  and  feeble,  as  well  as 
hungry,  his  strength  gave  way,  and  he  fell  down  on  the  ground 
beside  his  burden.  "Oh,"  he  cried,  "is  there  no  one  to  help  me? 
My  children  are  cold  and  hungry  at  home,  and  I  am  not  able  to 
reach  them  to  give  them  what  they  need."  A  young  man  who  was 
passing  by  heard  these  words,  and,  coming  up  to  him,  said:  "Do 
not  worry  yourself  about  your  burden,  my  friend;  I  will  help  you. 
But  first  let  us  rest  and  cat  something."  Saying  this,  he  produced 
bread,  meat,  and  wine,  and  they  both  ate  and  drank.  When  the  meal 
was  finished,  the  young  man  bade  his  aged  companion  good-bye 
and  went  away.  The  old  man  stood  surprised  and  disappointed. 
"I  thought  that  he  was  going  to  help  me  to  carry  my  heavy  burden," 
he  said,  "and  he  has  gone  off  and  left  me  alone."  With  a  heavy 
heart  he  stooped  to  lift  it  up,  when,  to  his  surprise,  he  found  he 
could  carry  it  with  ease.  The  food  the  young  man  had  given  him 
had  refreshed  him  so  much  that  he  had  now  sufficient  strength  to 
carry  his  burden.  So  it  is  with  the  grace  of  Cod.  ll  docs  not  take 
away  from  us  the  burden  of  life,  but  it  gives  us  strength  to 
bear  it. 

THERE  SHALL  BE  NO  ALPS 

When  Napoleon  contemplated  the  conquest  of  a  people  beyond 
the  Alps,  and  discussed  with  confidence  the  expedition  with  his  army, 


THE    WAY   OF   PERFECTION  323 

one  of  his  staff  said:  "But,  Sire,  remember  the  Alps."  Napoleon 
calmly  answered,  with  words  that  thrilled  those  who  listened:  "For 
Napoleon  and  his  army  there  shall  be  no  Alps."  And  thus  his  in- 
domitable will,  his  splendid  courage  and  military  genius  spurred  his 
legions  on  as  though  no  obstacle  lay  between  him  and  his  desire.  It 
were  well  if  men  could  manifest  this  same  courage,  confidence,  and 
enthusiasm  in  a  higher  and  nobler  cause;  if  we  could  all,  moving  on 
the  enemies  of  righteousness,  spur  on  our  efforts  unmindful  of  the 
difficulties  and  obstacles  which  now  too  often  discourage  us ! 

SILENCE!  HERE  IS  BERNARDINE 

When  St.  Bernardine  was  a  little  boy,  he  was  so  good  and  inno- 
cent that  his  companions  looked  on  him  with  reverence.  They  never 
said  an  unbecoming  word  when  he  was  with  them,  and  if  they  saw 
him  approaching  when  they  were  speaking  in  that  way,  they  immedi- 
ately ceased,  saying  one  to  the  other:  "Silence!  here  is  Bernardine." 
If  the  presence  of  a  holy  child  had  so  much  influence  on  his  com*- 
panions,  how  much  greater  should  be  the  influence  on  us  of  the 
thought  of  God's  presence. 

BLESSED  THOMAS  MORE'S  FIDELITY 

Thomas  More  was  Lord  High  Chancellor  of  England  in  the  reign 
of  King  Henry  VIII.  He  was  a  fervent  Catholic,  and,  although 
zealous  in  the  service  of  his  king,  was  still  more  so  in  the  service  of 
God.  When  Henry  rebelled  against  the  Church,  he  put  into  prison 
and  even  condemned  to  death  those  who  would  not  acknowledge  him 
to  be  head  of  the  Church.  When  he  informed  Sir  Thomas  More  of 
the  law  he  had  made,  requiring  his  subjects  to  submit  to  his  authority 
in  spiritual  things.  Sir  Thomas  replied  that  he  for  one  would  never 
obey  it,  "because,"  he  said,  "it  is  against  the  law  of  God." 

This  answer  put  the  king  into  a  great  passion,  and  he  ordered 
him  to  be  immediately  put  into  prison.  "You  shall  see,"  he  said,  "that 
I  am  your  master,  and  that  you  must  do  what  I  wish,"  "You  have, 
indeed,  power  over  my  life,  and  over  everything  I  have  that  passes 
away  with  life,"  replied  the  intrepid  Thomas,  "but  more  than  that 
you  have  no  power  over."  The  king  condemned  him  to  death.  But 
wishing  to  give  him  yet  an  opportunity  of  saving  his  life,  he  went 
to  his  wife,  and  persuaded  her  to  go  to  her  husband  and  to  try  and 
influence  him.  "O  my  husband,"  she  said  to  him,  "do  obey  the  com- 
mand of  the  king  as  others  have  done,  and  your  life  will  be  spared." 
"And  how  long,  my  dear  wife,"  he  answered — "how  long  do  you  think 
I  shall  live  if  I  do  what  you  ask  me?"  "For  at  least  twenty  years," 
she  said.  "Well,  if  you  had  said  twenty  thousand  years,  that  would 
have  been  something;  but  it  would,  indeed,  be  a  very  poor  thing  to  live 
even  that  number  of  years,  and  run  the  risk  of  losing  my  God  in 
eternity !" 

Thomas  More  died  for  the  Faith  on  the  scaffold  on  the  sixth  day 
of  July,  1535- 

THE   FRAILTY  OF  HUMAN   NATUBB 

St.  Catherine,  as  well  as  all  the  other  great  Saints  of  God,  saw 
clearly  how  weak  and  frail  human  nature  is  in  itself,  and  that  it  can- 


324    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

not  do  any  good  without  the  help  of  God's  grace.  "O  my  God,"  she 
was  frequently  heard  to  say,  "how  very  weak  I  am  !  If  left  to  myself, 
I  cannot  do  any  good  in  such  a  manner  as  to  please  Thee.  Left  to 
myself,  I  can  only  do  what  is  wrong.  Alas!  what  would  become  of 
me  if  Thou  didst  leave  me  without  Thy  grace?"  When  she  fell  into 
any  venial  fault — for  even  the  just  man  "falls  seven  times" — she 
would  raise  up  her  eyes  to  Heaven  and  exclaim,  "This  is  another 
of  the  fruits  that  my  garden  produces,"  meaning  that  faults  and  sins 
are  the  natural  productions  of  human  nature  if  not  supported  by  the 
grace  of  God. 

WE  OWE  EVERY  MERIf  tO  GOD'S  GRACE 

One  day  God  was  pleased  to  show  to  one  of  the  disciples  of  St. 
Francis  the  place  he  had  prepared  in  Heaven  for  the  great  Saint. 
It  was  high  above  the  angels,  even  among  the  Seraphim  who  are  so 
near  the  throne  of  God.  Not  long  after  this  he  met  St.  Francis,  and 
said  to  him :  "My  father,  would  you  be  pleased  to  tell  me  what  opinion 
you  have  of  yourself,  and  of  the  good  you  have  done."  "My  dear 
brother,"  he  answered,  "I  believe  that  there  is  nowhere  on  the  face  of 
the  earth  so  great  a  sinner  as  I  am."  "But,  beloved  father,"  answered 
the  other,  "how  can  you  say  that?  or  how  can  that  be  true?  Are 
there  not  murderers,  and  thieves,  and  other  criminals  in  the  world 
who  have  been  guilty  of  enormous  crimes ;  how  can  you  say,  then, 
that  you  are  the  greatest  sinner  on  the  face  of  the  earth?"  The 
Saint  answered:  "Of  one  thing  I  am  certain,  that  if  these  criminals 
of  whom  you  speak  had  received  from  God  the  same  graces  I  have 
received,  they  would  be  infinitely  more  holy,  and  more  grateful  to 
God  than  I  have  been.  And  I  am  also  certain  that  if  God  had  for  an 
instant  left  me  to  myself,  I  would  have  fallen  into  greater  sins  than 
they  have  committed,  and  would  have  become  the  greatest  sinner  in 
the  whole  world." 

MAN  CAN  FALL  BY  HIMSELF,  BUT  NOT  RISE  AGAIN  BY  HIMSELF 

A  man  can  of  himself  cause  his  fall,  but  he  can  not  of  himself 
cause  his  reformation. — Albertus  Magnus. 

USE  OF  THE  TONGUE 

When  Father  Angelo  of  Montelone  was  on  his  death-bed,  his 
superior  told  him  to  make  known  to  his  brethren  in  religion  for  their 
edification  what  he  considered  to  be  the  greatest  grace  he  had  ever 
received  from  God.  Father  Angelo,  in  his  humility,  was  troubled  at 
this  command,  but  not  wishing  to  infringe  his  vow  of  obedience,  he 
answered:  "My  brothers,  the  greatest  favour  which  I  have  ever  re- 
ceived from  God  is  this:  For  the  past  thirty  years  of  my  life  there 
has  never  fallen  from  my  lips  one  word  that  was  useless." 

THE  GATE  OF  THE  TONGUE 

One  of  the  brethren  of  the  monastery  over  which  the  holy  Abbot 
Sisois  presided  said  to  him:  "My  father,  I  desire  to  keep  a  guard 
on  my  heart."  The  Abbot  answered :  "How  can  you  guard  your 
heart,  and  preserve  it  from  dangers,  if  you  allow  the  gate  of  your 
tongue  to  be  always  open?  The  great  business  of  your  life  should  be 
to  keep  a  guard  upon  your  lips." 


THE    WAY   OF   PERFECTION  ,  825 

AN   AGKEEJIENT  WITH   THE   TONGUE 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  was  on  one  occn^ion  grossly  insulted  by  a 
young  man.  The  Saint  calmly  listened  to  the  young  man  and  said 
not  a  word  after  the  young  man  had  finished  his  abusive  speech. 
When  some  friends  of  the  Saint  remonstrated  with  him  for  suffering 
so  meekly  these  insults,  and  without  taking  the  youth  to  task,  St. 
Francis  answered:  "I  have  made  an  agreement  with  my  tongue  that 
it  must  not  speak  as  long  as  my  heart  is  disturbed  and  excited.  Only 
then  when  it  is  calm  again  do  I  permit  myself  to  speak  or  to  act." 

THE  THREE  GREAT  WORDS 

In  the  lives  of  the  members  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  we  read 
of  one  who  was  famous  for  his  eloquence,  and  for  the  zeal  with  which 
he  preached  the  Holy  Word  of  God.  "God  made  me  to  serve  Him," 
he  used  to  say.  "Show  me  then,  dearest  Lord,  how  I  am  to  do  so 
most  perfectly,  for  this  is  the  greatest,  the  only  desire  of  my  heart," 
God  was  pleased  with  the  fervour  of  this  holy  man,  and  answered  his 
prayer.  As  he  was  one  day  before  the  altar,  pouring  out  his  whole 
soul  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  saying  with  more  than  usual  fervour 
this  little  prayer,  "O  my  God,  what  must  I  do  to  save  my  souP"  he 
heard  a  voice  near  him  which  answered  him  in  these  words:  "Believe! 
Accomplish!  Employ!"  For  a  few  minutes  he  repeated  them  to  him- 
self, trying  to  find  out  what  they  meant.  But  the  more  he  thought 
over  them  the  more  difficult  they  seemed  to  be.  "O  my  God,  make 
known  to  me  the  meaning  of  these  words,  for  how  can  I  understand 
them  unless  Thou  dost  explain  them  to  me?"  This  time,  also,  God 
was  pleased  to  answer  him.  He  heard  the  same  voice  again;  it  said: 
"My  son.  Believe  all  that  God  has  revealed  to  you.  Accomplish  all 
that  He  has  appointed  to  be  done,  by  keeping  His  holy  commandments, 
Employ  the  means  He  has  given  you  to  enable  you  to  become  holy 
and  to  reach  Heaven." 


CHAPTER   VII 
SIN 

WHAT  18   SIN? 

Sin  is  defined  as  an  offense  against  God  or  His  law.  Let  us 
see  what  it  is  that  constitutes  an  act  into  an  offense  against  God. 
It  is  plain  that  an  attack  on  God  by  disbelieving  His  word  or  blas- 
pheming His  name  is  an  offense  against  Him;  and  the  same  with 
disobedience  to  commands  which  He  has  given.  H  He  has  com- 
manded a  certain  service  at  a  certain  time,  or  if  He  has  bidden  us 
abstain  from  the  fruit  of  such  a  tree,  or  from  labour  on  such  a  day, 
the  forbidden  action,  though  in  itself  not  bad,  becomes  so  because 
of  the  disobedience.  But  these  classes  do  not  embrace  the  whole 
multitude  of  sins.  There  are  other  things  which  are  intrinsically  evil 
without  being  obvious  attacks  on  God.  Even  if  there  were  no  pro- 
hibition given,  they  would  still  be  evil.  God  has  forbidden  them  be- 
cause there  is  an  intrinsic  evil  in  them  that  belongs  to  their  nature. 
Such,  for  instance,  are  pride,  covetousness,  lust,  anger,  gluttony,  envy, 
sloth.  What  is  there  at  the  root  of  these  capital  sins  which  makes 
them  evil  in  themselves,  seeing  that  they  do  not  seem  overtly  to 
attack  God?    It  is  this,  that  they  are  disorder. 

This  may  seem,  perhaps,  a  very  moderate  expression  to  use  con- 
cerning a  thing  which  is  otherwise  described  as  rebellion  against  God, 
base  ingratitude,  cruelty  to  our  suffering  Redeemer,  foulness,  falling 
below  the  brutes,  and  such  like.  But  the  word  "disorder"  embraces 
all  this  and  much  more.  It  is  not  merely  untidiness  or  disarrangement 
of  position,  which  is  the  first  idea  that  the  sound  of  the  word  brings 
before  the  mind.  But  "disorder"  is  an  adequate  description  of  all 
that  is  evil.  Peace,  beauty,  usefulness,  depend  on  the  harmony  of 
the  component  parts  of  a  thing;  destroy  this  harmony,  and  at  once  the 
thing  has  lost  a  portion  of  its  proper  perfection  and  become  bad.  All 
things  that  God  has  made  are  good;  evil  arises  from  disorder  intro- 
duced into  their  relations  toward  themselves,  or  toward  their  sur- 
roundings. What  are  all  the  horrible  forms  of  painful  disease  that 
affect  us  but  some  disarrangements  of  bodily  functions — digestion,  or 
nerves,  or  blood,  or  brain  ?  What  are  all  the  mental  troubles — terror, 
melancholy,  anxiety,  unreason,  insanity — but  some  disorder  of  the  due 
harmony  of  mental  faculties?  Even  things  good  in  themselves  may 
become  horrible  to  us  if  merely  disordered  in  position  or  in  colour. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

If  any  one  abide  not  in  Me,  he  shall  be  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and 
shall  zvither:  and  they  shall  gather  him  up,  and  cast  him  into  the  fire, 
and  he  burneth. — John  XV,  6. 

God  spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned,  but  delivered  them,  drawn 
down  by  infernal  ropes  to  the  lower  hell,  unto  torments,  to  be  reserved 
unto  judgment. — H  Peter  H,  4. 

326 


SIN  32Y 

The  way  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord:  he  that 
joUoweth  justice  is  beloved  by  Him. — Prov.  XV,  9. 

The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart :  There  is  no  God.  They  are  cor- 
rupt, and  arc  become  abominable  in  their  ways;  there  is  none  that 
doth  good,  no,  not  one. — Ps.  XIII,  i. 

The  hope  of  the  zvickcd  is  as  dust  which  is  blown  away  with  the 
wind,  and  as  a  thin  froth  which  is  dispersed  by  the  storm:  and  a 
smoke  that  is  scattered  abroad  by  the  wind:  and  as  a  remembrance  of 
a  guest  of  one  day  that  passeth  by. — Wisd.  V,  15. 

He  that  justifieth  the  wicked,  and  he  that  condentneth  the  just, 
both  are  abominable  before  God. — Prov.  XVII,  15. 

By  what  things  a  man  sinncth,  by  the  same  also  he  is  tormented. 

—Wisd.  XI,  17. 

What  wouldst  thou  ask,  or  learn  of  us?  We  are  ready  to  die 
rather  than  to  transgress  the  laws  of  God,  received  from  our  fathers. 

—II  Mach.  VII,  2. 

8IN,  THE  GREATEST  OF  EVILS 

Of  St.  John  Chrysostom  it  is  said  that  his  severe  criticisms  of  the 
evils  of  his  times  greatly  displeased  certain  people  in  high  positions. 
These  persons  took  counsel  among  themselves  as  to  how  they  might 
silence  this  preacher,  who  so  courageously  exposed  their  vicious  life. 
Various  suggestions  were  made,  such  as  confiscating  his  property, 
throwing  him  into  a  dungeon,  expelling  him  from  the  country,  even 
putting  him  to  death.  But  one  of  the  men  present  spoke  up  and  said 
"all  these  things  would  not  be  considered  punishment  by  this  reckless 
preacher;  property  he  has  none,  he  gave  all  he  had  to  the  poor;  throw- 
ing him  into  a  dungeon  or  otherwise  injuring  his  person  would  but 
cause  himi  to  rejoice,  as  he  then  would  consider  himself  to  suffer  for 
Christ's  sake.  The  only  way  to  punish  this  man,  and  to  cause  him 
grief,  will  be  to  lead  him  into  sin,  for  sin  is  what  he  fears  most." 

Fear  ye  not  them  that  kill  the  body,  and  are  not  able  to  kill  the 
soul;  but  rather  fear  him  that  can  destroy  both  soul  and  body  into 
hell— Matt.  X,  28. 

THE  SIN  OF  THE  ANGELS 

Why  did  God,  in  the  fulness  of  His  infinite  wisdom,  resolve  to 
come  down  and  die  in  agony  to  rescue  mankind,  while  He  condemned 
the  angels  at  once  and  without  pity  to  the  eternal  fires  of  hell  ? 

The  angels  were  treated  differently  from  man  because  the  whole 
circumstances  in  the  two  cases  were  entirely  different  and  God's 
justice  and  goodness  induced  Him  to  take  every  circumstance  into 
account.    We  will  point  out  the  chief  of  these  differences. 

I,  In  the  first  place,  the  sin  of  the  angels  was,  considered  in  itself, 
a  greater  sin.  Why?  Because  the  gravity  of  an  offense  depends 
not  merely  on  the  nature  of  the  sinful  act,  considered  by  itself, 
but  depends  also  upon  the  greater  or  lesser  clearness  with  which  its 


328    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

gravity  is  realized  by  the  culprit.  Now,  the  angels  had  a  more 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  infinite  Majesty  of  God  than  it  was  possible 
for  man  to  have.  They  realized  in  a  manner  far  surpassing  man's 
capacity  the  enormity  of  the  offense  they  were  guilty  of  in  rebelling 
against  their  infinite  Creator  and  Benefactor.  Hence,  their  crime 
was  more  unpardonable,  inasmuch  as  they  sinned  against  a  greater 
light  and  with  a  deeper  knowledge.  Man,  of  course,  had  knowledge 
enough  and  more  than  enough.  He  knew  perfectly  well  that  to 
disobey  God  was  a  serious  matter  and  deserving  of  punishment. 
But  he  had  not  the  keen,  penetrating,  subtle  intellect  of  the  angels. 
He  had  not  the  clear  and  precise  conception  of  God's  Divine 
attributes,  nor  the  deep  and  unmistakable  appreciation  of  His  claims 
upon  his  loyalty  and  submission,  and,  as  a  consequence,  though 
undoubtedly  guilty,  our  first  parents  were  not  so  guilty,  nor  quite  so 
utterly  unworthy  of  all  consideration,  as  were  the  rebel  angels. 
This,  then,  may  be  taken  as  the  first  reason  why  they  were  actually 
treated  with  less  rigour. 

H.  But  there  is  a  second  reason ;  and  that  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  angels  had  none  to  tempt  them  but  fell  by  reason 
of  their  own  deliberate  and  personal  choice.  With  man  it  was  quite 
different.  In  fact,  it  would  seem  that,  if  left  to  himself,  he  might 
perhaps  never  have  fallen  at  all.  He  did  not  stretch  out  his  hand 
and  eat  the  forbidden  fruit  unsolicited  and  uninvited.  His  downfall 
was  contrived  and  brought  about  by  the  cunning  and  the  deliberate 
efforts  of  one  immeasurably  more  powerful  and  more  sagacious. 

HI,  There  is  a  third  reason  why  man  should  be  shown  mercy 
rather  than  the  angels,  and  that  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact 
that,  with  the  immense  multitude  of  mankind,  the  sin  which  brought 
about  their  misery  and  condemnation  was  not  a  personal  sin  .at  all. 
It  was  the  sin  of  their  first  parents.  The  descendants  of  Adam  and 
Eve  were  indeed  guilty,  but  their  guilt  was  inherited.  They  received 
it  from  their  father  and  mother. — Bishop  John  S.  Vaughan. 

A  PICTURE  OF  MORTAL  SIN 

Suppose  a  child  to  insult  and  disown  his  parents,  to  disgrace  their 
name,  to  commit  such  an  offense  that  there  can  be  no  more  love, 
wilfully  to  leave  his  father's  house  and  scornfully  to  trample  upon 
the  affection  he  owes  to  those  who  brought  him  into  the  world, 
treating  them  with  the  utmost  disrespect  and  contumely.  That  is  a 
picture  of  mortal  sin. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

Soldiers  who  have  fought  in  the  battles  of  the  great  European 
War  state  that  among  the  dreadful  scenes  of  the  battle-field  one 
of  the  most  terrifying  and  ghastly  sights  was  that  of  a  dead  rider 
charging  on  a  madly  racing  horse,  and  dashing  to  certain  destruction. 
When  the  rider  received  the  mortal  wound  he  instinctively  took  a  vise- 
like  grip  upon  his  horse  and  thus  was  carried  unresistingly  along  by 
his  frantic  mount.    A  picture  of  the  soul  in  mortal  sin. 

THE  SOUL  IN  MORTAL  SIN 

One  day  a  holy  monk  was  favoured  by  the  vision  of  his  .Angel 


SIN  329 

Guardian  walking  at  his  side.  As  they  were  going  along,  they  came 
upon  the  carcass  of  a  dead  animal  lying  by  the  wayside.  The 
stench  which  came  from  it  was  so  great  that  the  good  man  could 
not  endure  it.  He  put  his  hand  upon  liis  nostrils,  and  hurried  past 
the  place  as  fast  as  he  could.  But  the  angel  did  not  seem  to  mind 
it  at  all.  After  a  little  while  they  saw  a  young  man  coming  towards 
them.  He  was  dressed  in  the  highest  style  of  fashion,  and  was  of  a 
beautiful  and  pleasing  appearance.  As  soon  as  the  angel  saw  this 
man  he  showed  signs  of  greatest  abhorrence,  and  tried  to  get  past 
him  as  fast  as  he  could,  keeping  his  eyes  turned  in  an  opposite 
direction,  that  he  might  not  see  him.  The  monk  asked  the  angel 
why  he  showed  no  signs  of  disgiist  when  he  passed  the  dead  animal 
and  seemed  to  feel  so  much  horror  when  he  met  the  well-dressed 
young  man.  The  angel  answered :  "The  smell  and  the  sight  of  the 
dead  animal  was  indeed  bad;  but  if  you  could  see,  as  we  angels 
can,  the  frightful  state  of  that  young  man's  soul,  for  he  is  guilty  of 
mortal  sin,  you  would  die  of  fright." 

THE   STATE   OF   MORTAL   SIN 

Prince  Damocles,  who  was  very  ambitious,  thought  that  there 
was  no  one  so  happy  as  a  king.  "Oh,  I  wish  I  were  a  king !"  he 
was  often  heard  to  say.  "I  would  then  be  rich,  and  have  no  cares 
nor  sorrows,  and  I  would  live  in  perfect  happiness."  King  Dionysius 
heard  this,  and  to  teach  him  a  lesson,  he  one  day  said  to  him : 
"Since  you  think  my  dignity  to  be  so  full  of  happiness,  I  will  permit 
you  for  a  time  to  rule  in  my  place."  So  Damocles  was  placed  en 
a  throne  of  gold,  and  clad  in  robes  of  the  finest  texture.  Servants 
attending  to  all  his  wants,  and  everything  that  his  heart  desired  was 
given  to  him.  Fortune  now  seemed  to  smile  on  him,  and  he  thought 
his  happiness  complete.  But  one  day  he  happened  to  raise  his  eyes, 
and  saw  suspended  over  his  head  a  sharp  sword.  It  hung  by  a 
single  thread,  and  if  that  thread  broke  he  would  most  certainly  be 
killed.  He  became  pale  and  was  afraid  to  move  lest  he  might  in 
doing  so  cause  the  slender  thread  to  break,  and  sat  on  his  rich 
throne  as  immovable  as  a  statue,  crying  out  to  someone  to  come  and 
take  away  the  sword.  By  the  king's  order  this  was  not  immediately 
done,  and  Damocles  was  almost  dead  from  fear. 

Those  who  are  in  mortal  sin  are  in  even  greater  danger :  they 
are  hanging  over  the  abyss  of  hell ;  all  that  keeps  them  from  falling 
into  it  is  the  slender  thread  of  life. 

DE.4.TH  RATHER  THAN  MORTAL  SIN 

When  Queen  Blanche  became  the  mother  of  St.  Louis,  she  received 
him  from  God  as  a  treasure  to  be  guarded  with  the  utmost  care. 
From  his  earliest  years  she  kept  one  great  thought  before  his  mind — 
to  love  above  all  things  his  Heavenly  Father,  and  never  to  offend 
Him  by  sin.  Often  when  the  little  boy  was  playing  by  her  side, 
or  sitting  on  her  knee,  she  would  say  to  him:  "My  dear  child,  God 
knows  how  much  I  love  you ;  no  mother  could  ever,  love  her  son 
more  than  I  love  you,  yet  sooner  would  I  see  you  lying  dead  at 
my  feet  than  know  that  you  had  offended  God  by  a  mortal  sin." 


330    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

A  PICTURE  OF  VENIAL  SIN 

There  is  an  immense  difference  between  mortal  and  venial  sin. 
Children,  in  the  thoughtlessness  and  carelessness  of  youth,  often 
commit  small  offenses  of  disobedience  or  petulance  or  slight  dis- 
respect against  their  parents.  A  parent^  is  justly  displeased  at  this: 
but  he  would  not  think  of  disowning  or  banishing  a  child  for  such 
offenses.  Yet  he  rightly  demands  that  the  child  shall  express  sorrow 
and  ask  pardon  and  try  to  do  better.  That  is  a  picture  of  venial 
sin. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

There  is  no  just  tnan  upon  earth  that  doth  good,  and  sinneth 
not.—Eccl.  VII,  21. 

//  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us. — //  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just, 
to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  iniquity. 

— I   John   I,   8-9. 

A  just  man  shall  fall  seven  times,  and  shall  rise  again. 

—Prov.  XXIV,  16. 

In  many  things  we  all  offend. — James  III,  2. 

There  was  once  a  girl  who  worked  in  a  factory.  The  day's  work 
was  nearly  done,  and  it  was  time  to  go  home.  She  saw  on  her 
dress  some  white  lint,  and  she  stooped  down  to  brush  it  off.  As  she 
bent  forward  the  quickly  revolving  machinery  caught  her  hair  and 
in  a  moment  she  was  drawn  in  among  the  wheels  and  crushed  to 
death. 

It  was  by  a  few  hairs  only  that  she  was  at  first  caught.  You 
may  think  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have  broken  them  and  so 
escape.  But  no;  while  each  hair  is  slight  of  itself,  many  together 
are  stronger  than  a  rope.     So  it  is  with  venial  sins. 

A  SOUL  IN  VENIAL  SIN 

Father  Alphonsus  Rodriguez  relates  that  there  was  a  holy  man 
who  desired  to  know  himself  as  he  realiy  was  in  the  eyes  of  God. 
"O  my  God,"  he  prayed,  "be  pleased  to  show  me  my  soul  just  as  it 
is  in  Thy  holy  sight."  God  heard  his  prayer  and  showed  him  his 
soul,  which,  though  free  from  grievous  sin,  was  nevertheless  stained 
with  venial  faults.  The  sight  of  it  filled  his  heart  with  so  much 
disgust  that  he  could  not  bear  to  look  at  it,  but  immediately  cried 
out :  "O  my  God,  do  not  show  me  my  soul  again,  when  there  are 
venial  sins  upon  it,  otherwise  I  shall  faint  from  fear." 

SINS    or   THOUGHT    BIORE   DANGEROUS   THAN    SINS   OF   DEED 

The  Council  of  Trent  commissioned  priests  to  impress  upon  the 
faithful  the  fact  that  sins  of  thought  are  likely  to  injure  the  soul  far 
more  than  even  sin  in  deed,  and  are  more  dangerous  than  sins 
committed  by  exterior  action.  {Trid.  Scss.  14,  dc  Poenit.  c.  5).  It  is 
often  cither  impossible  or  at  least  very  difficult  to  commit  sin  by 
deed,   whilst  sins  of  thought  may  be   committed   without  the   least 


SIN  331 

difficulty,  at  all  hours,  in  all  places,  and  thus  the  soul  may  by 
impure  thought  become  so  inextricably  involved  that  it  goes  inevitably 
to  eternal  ruin. 

RELAFSE  INTO   SIN 

Besides  inspiring  God  with  disgust  and  thus  rendering  the  sinner's 
return  to  favour  a  matter  of  great  difficulty,  a  relapse  exposes  him 
to  another  danger  springing  from  himself.  It  strips  of  much  of 
their  force  the  aids  to  repentance,  and  by  weakening  man's  will-power 
decreases  his  ability  to  resist  evil.  What  was  it  that,  with  the 
cooperation  of  God's  grace,  enabled  him  to  cast  off  the  servitude 
holding  him  captive  under  the  dominion  of  the  devil?  The  light 
of  God's  countenance  shone  upon  his  darkened  conscience,  and  he 
saw  the  turpitude  of  sin,  its  deformity,  its  ingratitude;  the  gift 
of  heavenly  grace  was  poured  into  his  heart;  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God  was  infused  into  him ;  the  Bread  of  Angels  was  bestowed  upon 
him  to  feed,  to  nourish  and  to  give  him  the  pledge  of  glorious  things 
promised  in  the  life  to  come.  He  has  enjoyed  all  these  privileges; 
he  has  made  use  of  all  these  helps;  he  has  thus  been  able  to  burst 
asunder  the  bands  holding  him  captive.  Knowing  this,  and  con- 
sidering the  happy  estate  of  his  former  slave,  the  devil,  as  we 
saw,  returns  reinforced  by  spirits  of  evil  more  wicked,  more  subtle 
than  himself,  to  pervert  the  will  that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  had  been 
turned  to  good.  If  the  soul  should  yield  to  his  assault,  what  will 
then  be  able  to  enlighten  the  intelligence,  to  stir  the  heart,  to  move 
the  will?  The  means  that  previously  helped  it  have  lost  much  of 
their  power. — F.  C.  Doyle,  0.  S.  B. 

IN   THE    SERVICE    OF    S.\TAN 

St.  Cyprian  depicts  Satan  stealing  into  the  midst  of  a  congrega- 
tion and  saying  to  the  Lord  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  altar:  "I  bore 
no  scourging  for  these ;  I  bore  no  cross ;  I  shed  no  blood ;  I  hate, 
not  love  them ;  I  shall  torture,  not  reward  them ;  yet,  though  nominally 
and  outwardly  they  are  Thy  servants,  how  many  of  them  secretly 
and  in  heart  are  mine?  See  what  gifts  they  lavish  upon  me.  See 
how  they  pour  out  upon  my  altars  the  libation  of  their  youth,  their 
purity  and  their  honour.  See  with  what  eager  effort  they  pursue 
the  ends  that  I  inspire.  Point  out  to  nle,  O  Christ,  such  servitors  of 
Thine." 

THE  IRREPARABLE  LOSS  OF  A  LIFE  SPENT  IN  SIN 

The  loss  of  a  single  moment  is  irreparable.  There  is  no  such 
thing  as  retracing  our  steps.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  recalling 
lost  moments.  It  is  possible  that  the  sins  of  years  may  be  wiped 
out  by  a  moment's  repentance.  It  is  possible  that  the  one  last  moment 
of  our  lives,  profited  by,  may  atone  for  years  of  abuse  and  loss. 
Blessed  for  ever  be  the  Precious  Blood  of  our  Divine  Lord.  It  buys 
for  us  eternity  even  when  we  have  squandered  time.  But  yet  that 
time  is  really  lost.  The  stores  of  merit  we  might  have  accumulated 
during  those  years  are  lost ;  we  gain  Heaven,  but  the  light  with  which 
God  crowns  us  is  faint  and  dim  instead  of  being  intensified  into 
burning  brightness  by  our  merits.    Like  a  man  snatched  from  a  violent 


332    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

death,  we  tremble  and  creep  in  terror  to  the  feet  of  God,  instead  of 
rising  buoyantly,  securely,  confidently  to  that  throne  which  the 
Precious  Blood  has  purchased  for  us,  and  which  we  have  adorned 
with  the  gold  of  our  penance  and  the  pearls  of  our  contrite  tears. 

— P.  A.  Sheehan, 

THE  FORCE  OF  HABIT 

Custom  in  time  renders  incurable  a  thing  which  might  at  first 
have  been  easily  rooted. — St.  Ignatius. 

It  is  a  proverb:  A  young  man  according  to  his  zvay,  even  when 
he  is  old  he  ivill  not  depart  from  it. — Prov.  XXII,  6. 

A   WASTED    IXHERITANCE 

There  was  a  poor  man  who  from  morning  to  night  laboured  to 
procure  food  for  himself  and  his  little  ones.  But  it  happened  that 
a  distant  relative  died,  and  left  him  sole  heir  of  all  his  property; 
so  that  from  being  poor  he  suddenly  became  rich,  and  his  children, 
instead  of  being  obliged  to  lead  a  laborious  life,  would  inherit  a 
great  fortune,  which  would  provide  for  all  their  wants,  and  raise 
them  to  a  high  position  in  the  world.  Great  was  the  joy  of  these 
children  at  their  good  fortune  and  their  future  prospects.  But  it  did 
not  last  long;  for  their  father,  seeing  so  much  money  in  his  possession, 
and  wishing  to  gain  still  more,  rashly  engaged  in  a  foolish  under- 
taking. In  a  short  time  he  lost  all  his  fortune,  and  was  reduced  to 
a  more  pitiable  condition  than  before.  His  children,  who  expected  to 
inherit  so  much  wealth,  saw  themselves  reduced  to  beggary  by  their 
father's  fault ;  and  after  his  death  they  were  obliged  to  wander  over 
the  world,  without  a  home  to  shelter  them,  and  to  earn  their  bread 
by  the  sweat  of  their  brow.  Our  first  parents  by  their  sin  lost  the 
inheritance  of  Heaven,  which  God  gave  them,  and  we,  their  children, 
were  involved  in  the  consequences. 

SIN  OUR  ONLY  REAL,  ENESIT 

Sin  is  the  only  enemy  we  really  have  to  fear.  To  convince 
ourselves  of  that,  all  we  need  do  is  to  ask  ourselves  the  following 
questions :  What  is  that  which  alone  can  blast  our  whole  career  ? 
Rob  us  of  God?  Deprive  us  of  Heaven?  And  fling  us  headlong  into 
the  bottomless  pit?  What  is  it  that  alone  has  the  power  to  chain 
us  down,  amid  the  quenchless  flames  of  hell,  forever  and  ever, 
as  long  as  God  is  God  ?  There  is  literally  but  one  thing,  and  that  is 
sin.  Yes.  No  other  enemy  can  work  us  such  evil.  Sin,  and  only 
sin,  possesses  this  awful  power.  Sin  can  do  it.  Sin  has  done  it. 
Sin  is  doing  it  every  day.  Sin,  in  short,  is  the  very  root  and  source 
of  all  our  misery,  and  of  all  our  misfortune. 

But  what  is  sin?  What  is  its  nature?  From  what  hellish  soil 
does  it  spring?  Of  what  diabolical  parent  is  sin  born?  Ah!  It 
springs  from  the  spirit  of  self-love.  It  is  born  of  self-indulgence, 
it  can  flourish  in  no  other  soil.  And  what  is  its  connection  with 
penance?  Well!  it  is  the  exact  contrary.  It  is  its  antagonist,  its 
most  inveterate  enemy.    One  is,  in  short,  the  antipode  of  the  other. 

— Bishop  John  S.  Vuughan. 


SIN  :5n.". 

MAN  NOT  FORCED  TO  SIN 

No  man  is  forced  to  sin ;  no  man  must  be  vile.  Nor,  ao^ain, 
must  any  man,  by  sheer  innate  force  of  virtue,  attain  to  life  ever- 
lasting; nor  must  any  man  of  necessity  stay  under  the  shadow  of 
God's  law.  No  one  has  ever  attained  so  high  a  degree  of  sanctity  but 
that  there  was  the  possibility  of  a  fall ;  no  one  has  ever  sunk  so  low, 
but  that  it  has  been  possible  for  him  to  rise.  Judas  was  an  apostle, 
the  Magdalene  a  harlot;  yet  the  one  betrayed  his  Lord  and  afterward 
went  "to  his  own  place,"  while  the  other  washed  away  her  sins  in 
the  tears  of  her  strong  penitence  and  adoring  love,  and  was  found 
to  the  last  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. — W.  R.  Carson. 

What  the  hail  is  to  fruit,  what  the  blast  of  the  storm  is  to  the 
trees,  what  a  raging  plague  is  to  the  herds  of  cattle,  what  a  furious 
hurricane  is  the  bark  at  sea,  such  is  sin  to  its  victims.  It  destroys 
the  fruits  of  the  good  works,  it  corrupts  the  faculties  of  the  world, 
it  plunges  the  whole  man  into  destruction. — St.  Augustine. 

A   PECULIARITY   OF   SIN 

This  is  the  sad  peculiarity  of  sin  that  we  can  not  deal  with  it  as 
we  would  with  other  difficulties  that  cross  our  path.  A  man  may 
have  naturally  a  strong,  imbending  will  in  every  affair  of  life,  and 
yet  fall  again  and  again  into  some  sin  which  he  despises  from  his 
heart  and  which  he  knows  to  be  robbing  him  of  his  manhood  and  his 
self-respect.  He  resolved  that  he  will  conquer  it — only  perhaps  on 
that  very  day  to  succumb  to  the  first  assault.  The  whole  nature  may 
grow  and  expand ;  the  will  become  stronger  and  more  resolute,  and 
side  by  side  with  this  development  of  intellectual  and  moral  powers 
we  find  an  increasing  spiritual  deterioration,  sensual  and  sinful. 

— W.  R.  Carson. 

EVIL  CAN  GROW  ONLY  IN  GOOI>  SOIL 

The  soil  that  produces  evil  is  itself  good;  for  a  bad  soil  produces 
nothing.  Evil  is  the  absence  of  full  perfection  in  that  which  is  good 
by  nature,  not  the  presence  of  something  which  is  strange  and  hurt- 
ful. Evil  can  only  exist  in  what  is  good — it  has  no  substantive  ex- 
istence of  its  own.  You  can  feel  pain  only  in  a  living  and  active 
nerve ;  you  can  feel  sorrow  only  in  a  soul  that  desires  its  legitimate 
and  natural  satisfaction.  There  is  no  nerve  that  can  feel  only  pain; 
there  is  no  soul  that  can  do  nothing  but  suffer — its  very  suffering  is 
the  indication  of  its  natural  and  healthy  desire  and  capacity  for 
happiness. — A.  B.  Sharpc. 

SHOULD  GOD  PREVENT  ALL  SIN? 

Should  He  force  the  sinner's  will  and  compel  him  to  love  truth 
and  goodness?  It  is  a  contradiction  in  terms — a  forced  and  unwilling 
love !  It  is  no  favour  to  man  to  force  upon  him  that  which  is  best 
for  him  but  which  he  abhors.  The  sinner  in  hell  will  certainly  never 
reproach  God  for  this;  for  does  not  every  sinner  pride  himself  especi- 
ally on  his  independence,  and  resist  what  he  calls  an  encroachment 
upon  it,  even  though  it  be  to  save  him  from  eternal  woe  ? 

— Bishop  Bcllord. 


334    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LWSTRUCTIONS 

SOj    ACUST    BE 

Sin  must  needs  be.  We  should  be  mere  inanimate  and  inglorious 
columns  in  the  temple  of  God,  there  would  be  no  such  thing  as  moral 
excellence  in  us,  no  such  thing  as  honourable  service  rendered  to 
God,  were  we  not  absolutely  free  from  all  compulsion ;  and  because 
we  are  free,  we  can  sin  and  we  do  sin.  The  power  of  choosing  God 
involves  the  power  of  rejecting  God.  Some  will  be  lost  because  all 
m.ust  have  the  power  of  being  saved.  Sin  and  punishment  will  be, 
because  of  the  natural  endowments  and  the  supernatural  vocation 
which  God  has  given  us.  Yet  God  is  in  no  sense  the  cause  of  sin  and 
punishment.  When  the  sun  shines  dark  shadows  fall  for  the  very 
reason  that  the  sun  is  so  bright ;  yet  is  the  sun  not  the  cause  of 
shadows,  but  rather  those  obstacles  which  stand  athwart  its  beams. 

—Bishop  Bellord. 

AN  ACT  RIGHT  OB  WRONG  INTERNALLY  ACCORDING  TO  THE  INTENTION 

The  same  external  act  may  be  separately  right  or  wrong,  accord- 
ing to  the  state  of  conscience  of  those  who  take  part  in  it,  or  their 
motives  in  so  doing.  The  Roman  soldiers  who  put  our  Lord  to  death, 
acting  in  obedience  to  their  officers  and  on  the  supposition  that  they 
were  dealing  with  an  ordinary  Jewish  criminal,  were  excusable.  They 
merely  did  their  duty  as  soldiers  and  state  officials;  whereas,  the 
Jewish  priests  and  people,  knowing,  or  at  least  in  duty  bound  to  know, 
that  Christ  was  just,  holy,  and  innocent,  moved  both  by  hatred  and 
the  desire  of  vengeance,  were  guilty  of  the  crime  of  deicide. 

— W.  Graham. 

THE  CONSEQUENCE  OF  ONE  SIN 

Adami  and  Eve  were  driven  out  of  Paradise  and  forced  to  earn 
their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  their  face;  trials  and  troubles  of  all  kinds 
and  finally  death  came  upon  them ;  their  descendants,  too,  suffered  the 
same  punishment  and  no  one  could  gain  admission  to  God's  presence 
until  God  Himself  became  man  to  make  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of 
men.  All  this  was  the  consequence  of  one  sin,  and  how  many  times 
have  we  sinned? — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

SENT  TO  HELL  FOR  THEIR  FIRST  SIN 

Some  have  been  cut  off  and  sent  to  hell  for  their  first  sin.  This 
was  the  case,  as  divines  teach,  as  regards  the  rebel  angels.  For 
their  first  sin,  and  that  a  sin  of  thought,  a  single  perfected  act  of 
pride,  they  lost  their  first  estate,  and  became  devils.  And  Saints  and 
holy  people  record  instances  of  men,  and  even  children  who  in  like 
manner  have  uttered  a  first  blasphemy  or  other  deliberate  sin,  and 
were  cut  off  without  remedy.  And  a  number  of  similar  instances 
occur  in  Scripture;  I  mean  of  the  lawful  punishment  of  a  single  sin, 
without  respect  to  the  virtue  and  general  excellence  of  the  sinner. 
Adam,  for  a  single  sin,  small  in  appearance,  the  eating  of  the  for- 
bidden fruit,  lost  Paradise,  and  implicated  all  his  posterity  in  his  own 
ruin.  The  Bethsamites  were  irreverent  towards  the  ark  of  the  Lord, 
and  more  than  fifty  thousand  of  them  in  consequence  were  smitten. 
Oza  touched  it  with  his  hand,  as  if  to  save  it  from  falling,  and  he 
was  struck  dead  on  the  spot  for  his  rashness.  The  man  of  God  from 
fuda  ate  bread  and  drank  water  at  Rcthcl,  again.st  the  command  of 


SIN  336 

God,  anrl  he  was  forthwith  killed  by  a  lion  on  his  return.  Ananias 
and  Sapphira  told  one  lie,  and  fell  down  dead  almost  as  the  words 
left  their  mouth.  Who  are  we,  that  God  should  wait  for  our  re- 
pentance any  longer,  when  He  has  not  waited  at  all  before  He  cut 
off  those  who  sinned  less  than  we? — Cardinal  Newman. 

NO  ONE  SAFE 

How  can  any  one  consider  himself  safe  who  remembers  that  Judas 
lived  among  the  Apostles  and  conversed  and  associated  with  our  Lord, 
received  particular  graces,  listened  to  Divine  advice,  and  yet  was  lost. 

— St.   Theresa. 

THE  DOUBLE  CH.4IN 

Before  we  fall  into  sin  the  enemy  labours  to  blind  us,  that  we 
may  not  see  the  evil  we  do  and  the  ruin  we  bring  upon  ourselves  by 
offending  God.  After  we  commit  sin,  he  seeks  to  make  us  dumb, 
that,  through  shame,  we  may  conceal  our  guilt  in  confession.  Thus, 
he  leads  us  to  hell  by  a  double  chain,  inducing  us,  after  our  trans- 
gressions, to  consent  to  a  still  greater  sin — the  sin  of  sacrilege ! 

— St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

THE  RULING   PASSION 

The  devil  is  constantly  endeavouring  to  find  out  the  passion  which 
rules  in  our  heart,  and  the  pleasures  which  have  the  greatest  attrac- 
tion for  us.  When  he  discovers  them  he  presents  occasions  for 
indulging  them :  he  then  excites  concupiscence,  and  prepares  a  chain 
to  make  us  the  slaves  of  hell. — St.  Ambrose. 

A  SINFUL  LIFE  DESTRUCTIVE  OF  FAITH 

A  sinful  life  is  positively  and  directly  destructive  of  faith.  Pride, 
covetousness  and  lust,  especially,  are  blinding  to  the  soul,  and  render 
it  incapable  of  grasping  truths  of  the  spiritual  order.  The  sinner 
himself  may  not  think  such  a  thing  possible.  He  takes  his  faith  as 
being  like  ordinary  knowledge  and  certainty,  and  supposes  that  a 
vicious  life  can  no  more  impair  faith  than  it  interferes  with  the 
knowledge  of  natural  truths.  But  the  case  is  different.  Sin  does  not 
always  destroy  the  firmness  of  our  grasp  of  truth,  but  it  has  a  ten- 
dency to  do  so,  and  at  the  present  day  it  is  particularly  likely  to  do 
so.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  show  that  each  of  the  capital  sins  has  a 
close  connection  with  belief.  These  sins  do  not  interfere  with  the 
intellectual  faculties;  they  do  not  impugn  the  grounds  of  faith;  any 
particular  man  who  falls  into  them  does  not  necessarily  lose  his  belief 
in  revelation.  But  when  one  of  these  sins  prevails  through  a  large 
community,  when  it  goes  on  for  a  generation  or  two,  accumulating 
momentum  and  working  out  its  effects,  there  we  find  that  the  re- 
ligious sense  grows  weaker  and  dies  out. — Bishop  Bellord. 

THE  TWO   GREAT   MYSTERIES 

I  have  always  thought  that  there  are  only  two  great  mysteries 
in  the  world.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with  science.  Science  is 
growing  commonplace  now.  They  are  connected  with  man,  und  deal 
with  him  in  his  relations  with  his  Creator  and  himself.  One  is  the 
mystery  of  God's  love  and  interest,  never-ceasing,  in  man ;  and  the 
other  is  the  mystery  of  sin.    One  sin,  a  sin  of  disobedience,  caused  a  God 


r53G    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

of  infinite  goodness — a  goodness  that  Saints  called  folly,  so  persistent 
was  it  in  spite  of  continual  disappointments  and  rebuffs — one  sin  of 
disobedience  caused  such  a  God  to  let  loose  on  man  a  flood  of  miseries 
— war,  famine,  pestilence,  the  widow's  wail,  the  orphan's  tears,  sick- 
ness, poverty,  shame,  death,  and,  chiefest  of  all,  sin — which  has  strewn 
the  shores  of  our  world  with  endless  wrecks  and  has  whirled  many 
a  soul  into  the  vortex  of  hell. — P.  Sexton. 

THE  BATTLE  WITH   VICES 

We  do  not  battle  with  vices  to  defeat  them,  but  we  battle  with 
them  in  order  not  to  be  defeated. — Seneca. 

SAFETY  FN   FLIGHT 

Even  Christ  our  Lord  sought  His  safety  in  flight  when  Herod 

sought  His  life.     If  Almighty  God  did  this,  how  much  more  should 

we  flee  from  the  danger  that  threatens  the  life  of  our  soul. 

— St.  Jerome. 
OCCASIONS  OF  srv 

As  long  as  we  expose  ourselves  to  the  occasions  of  sin,  the  devil 
'laughs  at  all  our  good  purposes  and  promises  made  to  God.  The 
greatest  care  of  the  enemy  is  to  induce  us  not  to  avoid  evil  occasions; 
for  these  occasions,  like  a  veil  placed  before  the  eyes,  prevent  us  from 
seeing  either  the  lights  received  from  God,  or  the  eternal  truths,  or 
the  resolutions  we  have  made :  in  a  word,  they  make  us  forget  all,  and, 
as  it  were,  force  us  into  sin. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

THE   SINNER  BIDS  GOD  TO  DEPART 

When  the  priest  baptizes  an  infant,  he  commands  the  demon  to 
depart  from  the  soul:  "Go  out  from  him,  unclean  spirits,  and  make 
room  for  the  Holy  Ghost."  But  when  a  Christian  consents  to  mortal 
sin,  he  says  to  God:  "Depart  from  me;  make  room  for  the  devil,  whom 
I  wish  to  serve." — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

LIGHT  AND  GRACE  WITHDRAWN   FROM  OBSTINATE  SINNERS 

Certain  it  is  that  God  does  withdraw  light  and  grace  in  con- 
siderable measure,  if  not  entirely,  from  some  obstinate  sinners,  in 
punishment  of  their  persistent  rejection  of  Him.  God  shrouds  the 
truth  in  darkness  from  many  who  seek,  but  do  not  deserve  to  find. 
He  darkens  the  understanding,  so  that  it  gropes  about  ineffectually 
and  cannot  distinguish  truth  from  falsehood.  Thus  their  opportunities 
of  salvation  are  diminished,  and  they  are  confirmed  in  their  course 
toward  hell. 

The  Divine  punishment  is.  as  in  other  cases,  the  natural  and 
direct  consequence  of  the  sin.  H  any  faculty  is  neglected  a  man  loses 
the  use  of  it.  A  limb  that  is  never  used  withers  up.  li  memory,  or 
speech,  or  eyesight  be  left  without  exercise,  they  are  starved,  and  we 
lose  the  use  of  these  powers.  It  is  just  the  same  with  our  spiritual 
faculties.  They  must  have  exercise  if  they  are  to  remain  vigorous. 
Disuse  kills  them,  too.  The  eye  which  never  looks  on  God's  face  be- 
comes blind  to  Him;  the  ear  which  disregards  His  voice  becomes  deaf, 
the  heart  which  never  turns  to  Him  in  love  grows  cold  and  hard  and 
unfit  to  love.     "P>v  what  thinsfs  a  man  sinneth.  hv  the  same  also  is 


S!N  38Y 

he  tormented"  (Wisd.  xi,  7).  Contempt  of  the  supernatural  life  ends 
in,  and  is  fitly  punished  by,  incapacity  for  the  spiritual  life.  Then 
the  greatest  graces  are  but  like  the  dew  on  rugged  mountain  tops; 
nothing  can  soften  these  hearts;  that  whicli  would  have  sanctified  and 
saved  another  soul  is  to  them  the  cause  for  an  increase  of  responsibility 
and   punishment. 

When  a  soul  is  in  this  state  it  proclaims  itself  sincere,  honest, 
conscientious  in  its  rejection  of  God.  It  maintains  that  it  is  naturally 
so  constituted  as  to  be  unable  to  take  a  religious  view  of  things.  If 
there  is  a  God,  He  has  veiled  Himself  so  that  He  cannot  be  dis- 
covered. If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  religious  truth,  it  is  so  hidden 
that  no  just  being  could  punish  a  man  for  being  ignorant  of  it.  Thus 
men  speak.  But  this  sincerity  is  of  a  sort  that  is  no  excuse;  this 
ignorance,  though  at  present  invincible,  is  not  blameless,  for  it  was 
deliberately  induced.  What  punishment  could  be  more  terrible  than 
when  God  thus  leaves  His  enemies  to  enjoy  what  they  consider  their 
triumph !  What  a  terrible  awakening  will  there  be  in  death,  seeing 
that  it  is  so  little  expected!  — Bishop  Bellord. 

ILLUSION    OF   THE   SINNER 

It  is  said  of  a  very  wealthy  but  very  homely  woman,  that  she 
would  not  tolerate  in  her  house  any  mirrors.  She  did  not  want  to  be 
reminded  of  her  homeliness,  and  desired  to  give  herself  to  the  illusion 
that  in  appearance  she  was  agreeable,  without  taking  chances  of 
having  this  illusion  destroyed  by  seeing  her  homeliness  in  a  mirror. 
Thus  the  sinner  avoids  the  scrutiny  of  his  bad  conscience  and  refuses 
to  admit  his  hideous  sins. 

•ACCEPTING    GOD    ONLY    FORMALLY 

A  legend  relates  that  Abraham's  father  was  an  image  maker,  and 
that  one  day  Abraham  broke  all  the  images  in  the  shop  and  then 
put  the  hammer  into  the  hand  of  the  biggest  image.  When  he  told 
his  father  that  the  big  image  had  broken  the  little  ones,  his  father 
said:  'Tt  is  impossible;  they  can  neither  sec  nor  move."  Abraham 
replied:  "Then  they  are  not  gods."  Some  Christians'  faith  in  God 
resembles  Abraham's  father's  faith  in  his  idols.  They  accept  God 
formally,  but  apparently  have  little  faith  that  He  actually  sees  and 
moves. 

TEPIDITY 

God  revealed  to  Blessed  Henry  Suso,  that  for  tepid  souls,  who  are 
content  with  leading  a  life  exempt  from  mortal  sin,  but  who  commit 
many  deliberate  venial  sins,  it  is  very  difficult  to  preserve  themselves 
in  the  state  of  grace. — The  venerable  Louis  de  Ponte  used  to  say: 
"I  commit  many  defects,  but  I  never  make  peace  with  them." 

Then  shall  they  call  upon  Me,  and  I  will  not  hear:  they  slmll  rise 
in  the  morning  and  shall  not  find  Me: — Because  they  have  hated  in- 
struction, and  receive  not  the  fear  of  the  Lord. — Prov.  I,  28-29. 

SCEPTICISM 

Scepticism  is  based  on  what  is  called  indifference,  but  the  very 
word  indifference  is  a  lie,  and  a  shuffle.    The  sceptic  is  not  indifferent, 


338    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

he  is  only  too  much  biased  by  considerations  of  present  case  to  do 
his  duty.  He  is  like  a  judge  dismissing  the  jury  and  shutting  up  the 
court  in  order  to  escape  the  trouble  and  responsibility  of  a  judgment. 

—W.  Lockhart. 


PRESUMPTION 

WHAT  IS  PRESUMPTION? 

Presumption  is  the  false  supposition  or  hope  that  God  pardons 
those  who  continue  in  their  sins  (St.  Thomas  Summa,  II,  II,  qu., 
21,  a.,  I),  the  false  belief  that  God  will  pardon  one  who  refuses  to 
amend  his  ways.  Presumption  is  not  present  in  the  case  of  one  who 
commits  a  sin  with  the  intention  to  confess  it  and  thus  get  pardoned 
for  it.  On  the  contrary  such  a  one  sins  less  than  he  would  have 
done  without  thinking  of  his  conversion.  Hence,  according  to  St. 
Albertus  Magnus,  Adam  sinned  less  grievously :  Quia  sub  spe  veniae 
peccavit. 

HOW   PRESUMPTION   IS   COMJOTTED 

Presumption  may  be  committed  in  two  ways.  A  man  who  would 
hope  for  Heaven  without  the  help  of  God,  and  supposes  that  his 
own  efforts  would  gain  salvation,  would  be  guilty  of  the  sin  of  pre- 
sumption in  a  very  extraordinary  degree ;  and  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  think  that  any  believer  in  God  and  Heaven  would  come  to  such  a 
pass  unless  he  were  insane,  and  therefore  irresponsible.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  anyone  who  should  hope  for  salvation  without  re- 
pentance for  past  sin,  or  with  obstinate  perseverance  in  sin  to  the  end. 
But  there  is  a  kind  of  presumption  into  which  it  is  not  impossible  for 
a  Christian  to  fall ;  though  in  this  form  the  sin  does  not  altogether 
destroy  the  virtue.  It  consists  in  this,  that  a  man  hopes  for  that 
which  God  has  not  promised,  namely,  space  and  time  for  repentance 
after  continued  unrepented  sin — a  death-bed  repentance.  We  may 
not  depend  on  this.  "Nozv  is  the  accepted  time;  now  is  the  day  of 
salvation." — H.  G.  Hughes. 

PRESUMPTION,   WHEN   PRESENT   AND   WHEN   NOT 

A  man  is  sinning — giving  way  to  some  sin  that  is  habitual  with 
him.  He  does  not  in  the  least  mean  to  give  up  his  sin — indeed,  he 
means  to  sin  again;  but  he  entertains  some  vague  notion  of  escape 
and  pardon.  This  would  be  a  sin  of  presumption,  and  the  man's  guilt 
in  God's  sight  is  increased  thereby.  But  take  the  case  of  a  man  who, 
though  sinning,  does  not  intend  to  continue  to  sin;  means  to  repent 
and  confess  and  cease  from  sinning;  hoping  thereby  to  be  reconciled 
to  God.  That  is  not  presumption ;  and  the  man's  guilt  is  not  increased 
but  diminished  by  these  sentiments. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

PRESUMPTION  IN  COURTING  TEMPTATION 

Presumption  is  also  the  inordinate  self-trust,  shown  in  placing  our- 
selves in  a  position  of  temptation  that  we  have  no  right  to  suppose 
our  virtue  capable  of  resisting. — H.   G.  Hughes. 


IMPURITY  389 

DESPAIR  AND  PRESUMPTION,   Tllli  TWO  CHIEF  SINS  AGAINST  HOPE 

Two  sins  arc  especially  contrary  to  the  virtue  of  hope.  They  are 
despair  and  presumption.  In  their  extreme  forms  they  destroy  the 
virtue  altogether,  just  as  infidelity  destroys  faith,  and,  with  it,  hope 
as  well.  Despair  is  an  act  of  the  mind,  consciously  putting  away  all 
hope  for  salvation,  or  a  loss  of  confidence  in  God's  mercy  and 
promises;  so  that  a  man  says  to  himself,  "It  is  impossible  that  I  should 
be  saved."  A  man  may  even  go  so  far  as  to  no  longer  desire  salva- 
tion ;  and  the  great  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  tells  us  that  this  terrible  state 
of  mind  is  frequently  the  result  of  sins  against  the  holy  virtue  of 
purity. — H.  G.  Hughes. 


IMPURITY 

IMMORALITY 

This  sin  destroys  holiness,  impedes  the  workings  of  grace,  it 
weakens  reason,  turns  one  wholly  to  sense,  making  man  brutish, 
stupid,  insensible.  It  disrupts  domestic  affections,  robs  man  of  his 
truest  joys,  runs  on  for  life  and  is  scarcely,  if  ever,  shaken  off.  Why 
should  not  the  love  of  youth  be  elevated  by  the  desire  to»  reproduce 
the  happy  homes  of  childhood's  memory,  why  should  not  sisters 
be  the  ideals  of  modesty  to  brothers,  why  should  not  children  be 
edified  by  the  unbroken  harmony  of  parents?  There  is  no  reason 
why,  but  the  workings  of  that  foul  sin.  No  crime  enslaves  man 
more  than  that  of  impurity.  When  the  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out 
of  a  man  he  finds  no  rest,  no  ease  till  he  returns.  Not  content  with 
returning  himself,  he  brings  along  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked 
than  himself.  The  sinner's  soul  becomes  the  rendezvous  of  this 
horde,  and  the  last  state  of  this  man  is  v/orse  than  the  first.  No 
crime  involves  man  in  greater  misfortune  mentally,  morally  and 
socially.  No  crime  is  more  shameful,  more  productive  of  the  insup- 
portable sting  and  remorse  of  conscience.  What  is  first  done  from 
frailty  is  soon  committed  with  full  consent  and  deliberation,  and  he 
who  falls  with  anguish  and  remorse,  in  the  end  becomes  a  hardened 
sinner.  Justly  is  it  numbered  among  the  seven  capital  sins,  for  it 
is  the  seminary  of  numberless  other  vices,  of  endless  evils  and  is  an 
unremitting  enemy  of  salvation.  It  is,  of  all  the  sins  to  which  we 
are  prone,  the  most  pernicious  and  destructive,  the  most  filthy,  the 
most  abominable  in  God's  sight.  "By  its  fruits  you  shall  know 
it." — /.   W.  Sullivan. 

How  repulsive  it  is  in  its  true  colours,  how  revolting  it  sounds 
when  called  by  its  true  names,  which  we  dare  not  mention  !  Conscious 
of  this,  its  victims  shrewdly  veil  it  under  false  colours  and  call  it 
by  names  that  may  not  shock  unsuspecting  ears.  And  yet,  though  the 
world  excuses  the  vice  and  tries  to  pass  it  off  as  a  harmless 
pleasure,  it  still  remains  true  that  every  man,  even  the  sinner, 
despises  the  impure  in  heart.  Who  will  receive  into  his  home  the 
sower  of  immorality,  the  smiling  villain  w'ho  is  known  to  pour 
his  vile  suggestiveness  into  innocent  ears,  who  is  known  to  revel 
with   the  daughters  of   shame   in   the  home  of  Satan?     Trust   the 


340    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

sea  with  your  tiny  boat,  trust  fickle  winds,  trust  the  miser's  generosity, 
the  tyrant's  mercy,  but  trust  not  the  artful  scoundrel  armed  with 
obsequience  for  your  pride,  praise  for  your  vanity,  generosity  for 
your  selfishness,  words  of  religion  for  your  conscience,  spicy  scandal 
for  your  curiosity.  None  that  go  with  him  return  again.  What 
chance  has  she  who  has  listened  to  her  own  vanity,  then  to  the 
flattery  of  others,  and  finally  sold  her  jewel  of  great  price?  Con- 
science may  ply  her  scorpion-whip,  there  may  be  repentance,  bodily 
suffering,  but  the  door  of  return  is  forever  shut,  and  the  inner  voice 
cries  out,  "Thou  are  dishonoured,  thou  art  stained,  thou  art  lost." 
The  lovelier  the  thing  is,  the  more  hopeless,  the  more  lamentable  its 
ruin.  This  sin  ruins  that  which  God  planned  to  be  so  lovely — the 
sister,  the  ideal  of  purity  to  her  brothers;  the  gentle,  loving  wife; 
the  tender,  devoted  mother — yet  the  ruin  of  all  this,  all  is  forfeited 
for  the  short  career  of  profligacy,  short  as  the  life  of  a  moth  ! 

— /.  IV.  Sullivan. 

If  the  slightest  touch  soils  the  pure  and  dazzling  brightness  of 
the  lily;  if  the  smallest  stain  mars  its  beauty,  how  detestable  in  the 
sight  of  God  must  be  that  foul  sin  which  disfigures  the  soul  and  defiles 
in  it  the  image  of  its  Creator !  When  the  disobedience  of  our  first 
parents  brought  a  pall  of  sin  and  death  over  the  fair  face  of  the 
newly  created  universe.  He  manifested  His  eternal  mercy  in  the 
promise  of  a  Redeemer.  When  Cain,  the  first  murdered,  purpled 
his  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  innocent  brother  He  threatened  the 
severest  doom  on  the  hands  that  would  slay  him.  The  most  wonderful 
favours  of  nature  and  of  grace  He  lavished  upon  man.  But  no  sooner 
did  the  vile  sin  of  impurity  enter  the  world  and  the  children  of  man, 
forgetting  the  spirituality  of  their  nature,  gave  themselves  up  to 
sensuality,  than  He  repented  of  the  work  of  His  hands. 

— /.  A.  M.  Gillis. 

DANCING  AND  THE  CAPITAL  SINS 

Dancing  may  lead  to  all  the  deadly  sins.  To  pride,  by  the  desire 
of  excelling  in  beauty,  appearance,  or  elegance  and  skill.  To  covctous- 
ness,  neglecting  an  aged  and  infirm  parent,  in  order  to  spend  all  on 
perfumes  and  dress.  To  lust,  by  yielding  to  the  impure  thoughts  and 
desires  suggested  in  dancing.  To  anger,  by  the  quarrels  and  enmities 
so  often  born  there.  To  gluttony,  in  the  banquets  which  accompany 
dancing.  To  envy,  at  seeing  one's  self  surpassed  in  beauty,  dress  and 
attractions.  To  sloth,  by  the  loathing  and  dislike  of  all  forms  of 
prayer  and  devotion. — Cat.  dc  Bonrges. 

The  body  is  not  for  fornication,  hut  for  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord 
for  the  body. — I  Cor.  VI,  13. 

Whosoever  shall  look  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her,  hath  already 
committed  adultery  with  her  in  his  heart. — Matt.  V,  28. 

He  gathereth  to  himself  shame  and  dishonour,  and  his  reproach 
shall  not  be  blotted  out. — Proz'.  VI,  33. 


IMPURITY  341 

THE   SOCIAL    EVIL 

Look  around  you,  you  need  not  look  far  to  see  the  horrors  of 
this  social  evil.  Think  of  the  many  who  come  to  be  united  in 
marriage  and  who  should  come  as  penitents.  Think  of  the  results 
that  accrue  from  the  very  suggestiveness  of  our  penny  arcades,  our 
theatrical  posters,  the  flippant,  fearless  expose  of  the  most  delicate 
subjects  by  our  theaters,  our  publications,  our  newspapers.  Think 
of  the  open,  shameless  presence  of  fallen  women  in  our  streets, 
filled  with  a  hellish  readiness  to  entice  others  to  follow  them  in  the 
ways  of  sin.  Consider  that  these  human  instruments  are  doing 
the  work  of  demons,  entrapping  innocent  girls,  prowling  about  homes, 
shops  and  hospitals,  offering  pretended  kindness  and  alluring  to 
sham  homes.  Remember  there  are  cities  in  this  country  of  ours 
where  the  worst  of  traffics  has  become  a  vested  interest.  Think  of 
her  who  teaches  her  unsuspecting  sister  the  trick  of  infanticide. 
Think  of  your  own  sinful  carelessness  in  not  properly  guarding  your 
daughters  against  what  not  only  might  be  but  are  occasions  of  sin 
in  their  own  homes.  Your  young  sons  whose  battles  are,  of  all,  the 
most  difficult,  are  left  unwarned  and  unprotected  when  the  worst  of 
temptations  have  commenced  the  struggle,  when  men,  criminally  even 
if  heedlessly,  are  putting  into  their  hands  circulars  or  pamphlets 
they  should  never  read.  Reflect  on  some  of  these  things  for  a 
moment;  they  will  bring  up  many  more  terrible  evils  that  will  make 
you  wonder  that  the  waters  of  the  sea  do  not  rise  again,  or  the  flames 
that  destroyed  the  cities  of  the  plain  do  not  flash. — /.  W.  Sullivan. 

IMPIRITY  DESPISED  EVEN  BY  SAVAGES 

The  Vice  of  Impurity  is  nearly  always  condemned  by  every  nation, 
even  by  the  most  savage  tribes.  Historians  say  of  the  Parthians :  "They 
punished  no  crime  more  severely  than  adultery."  The  Spartans  chas- 
tised it  so  severely  that  there  was  hardly  an  adulterer  found  in  their 
midst.  Among  the  Arabs,  both  the  guilty  parties  were  beheaded. 
The  Egyptians  burned  them  alive.  Even  the  Turks,  who  are  known 
as  a  most  sensual  race,  do  not  tolerate  adultery.  And  St.  Boniface 
tells  us  that  it  was  a  custom  and  law  among  the  Saxons  that  if  a 
girl  dishonoured  her  family,  the  unhappy  creature  was  obliged  to 
take  a  rope  and  hang  herself.  Her  infamous  body  was  then  cut 
down  and  burnt.  The  knave  that  had  ruined  the  wretch  was  then 
dragged  to  the  spot  and  hanged  like  a  dog  over  the  smoking  ashes 
of  her  whom  he  had  ruined.  And  yet  all  these  nations  knew  nothing 
of  the  Christian  revelation  and  of  the  Divine  chastisements  reserved 
in  the  life  to  come ;  it  proves  clearly  that  the  light  of  reason  sufficed 
them  to  see  a  special  malice  and  deformity  in  adultery  and  fornica- 
tion.— L.  IVilliam. 

LJIMORALITY  LEADS  TO  LOSS  OF  FAITH 

F.  Coppee,  a  member  of  the  French  Academy,  led  back  by  severe 
sickness  to  the  faitli  of  his  youth,  relates  the  following  in  his 
confessions :  "I  was  raised  a  Christian,  and  fulfilled  the  religious 
duties  with  zeal  even  for  some  years  after  my  first  Holy  Communion. 
What  made  me  deviate  from  my  pious  habits  were,  I  confess  it  openly, 
the   aberrations  of  youthful  age  and   the   loathing  to   make   certain 


342    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

confessions.  Quite  many  who  are  in  the  same  position  will  admit,  if 
they  will  be  frank,  that  at  the  beginning  they  were  estranged  from 
their  creed  by  the  severe  law  which  religion  imposes  on  all  in 
respect  to  sensuality,  and  only  in  later  years  they  felt  the  want 
to  extenuate  and  justify  the  transgressions  of  the  moral  law  by  a 
scientific  system.  Having  taken  the  first  step  on  the  downward 
road,  I  could  not  fail  to  read  books,  listen  to  words,  see  examples 
which  confirmed  my  notion  that  nothing  can  be  more  warranted  but 
that  man  obey  his  pride  and  his  sensuality ;  and  soon  I  became  totally 
indifferent  in  respect  to  religion.  As  will  be  seen,  my  case  is  an 
everyday  case." 

ADULTERY 

As  under  the  prohibition  of  theft  every  unlawful  use  of  another's 
property  is  understood,  so  in  the  Sixth  Commandment,  by  the  word 
adultery  is  understood  and  prohibited  everything  that  is  contrary  to 
purity  and  modesty;  but  while  a  theft  may  be  only  a  venial  sin, 
if  the  article  stolen  is  only  a  trifle,  every  voluntary  act  of  impurity, 
however  slight,  is  a  mortal  sin. — St.  Augustine. 

SEDUCTION 

O  friendship,  what  an  enemy !  O  seduction  of  the  mind,  and 
unaccountable  greediness  of  doing  mischief  out  of  play  and  wanton- 
ness, and  an  appetite  of  another's  loss,  without  any  gain  to  myself, 
or  desire  of  revenge;  but  only  because  it  is  said,  "Let  us  go,  let  us 
do  it,"  and  one  is  ashamed  not  to  be  shameless. — St.  Augustine. 

CONCUPISCEXCE 

The  evil  lurks  in  ourselves.  Let  the  eye  that  is  sound,  whole, 
healthy  look  upon  every  object  fashioned  by  the  hand  of  the  Divine 
Maker.  But  wo  to  the  rash  one  who  presumes  to  do  so  with  eyes 
diseased  with  concupiscence,  with  eyes  not  anointed  with  eye-salve ! 
All  things  are  clean  to  the  clean.  But  our  misfortune  is  that  we  are 
unclean  from  our  origin,  so  that  "the  bewitchery  of  vanity  obscureth 
good  things  and  the  wandering  of  concupiscence  overturneth  the 
innocent  mind."  What  a  blessed  condition  would  be  ours  if  we 
could  follow  the  vision  of  our  thoughts  and,  seeking  God  in  all  His 
works,  find  Him;  and,  referring  all  things  to  Him,  make  every  object 
of  pleasure  a  stepping-stone  to  approach  nearer  to  Him  !  But  such 
a  lot  has  been  denied  us  through  the  fault  of  Adam.  The  curse  of 
original  sin  has  for  its  effect  to  make  us  stop  short  of  God  in  the 
things  that  strike  our  senses,  to  seek  instead  self  and  one's  own 
selfish  pleasures.  And  so  it  happens  that  the  path  which  men  follow 
in  the  desire  of  their  eyes  is  the  path  of  earthly  satisfactions  and 
sins.     Lust  prompts  the  wandering;  sin  is  the  result. 

— John  H.   Stapleton. 

THE   SINNER   AFRAID  HIS  PRAYER   WOULD  BE  HE.\RD 

St.  Augustine  in  his  Confessions  offers  himself  as  an  example 
of  this  phenomenon,  for  he  admits  that  he  feared,  when  he  prayed 
to  be  delivered  from  the  evil  of  his  ways,  lest  the  Lord  should  hear 
him.     He  who  does  not   wi^li   tn  quit  the  path  of  iniquity  takes  no 


IMPURITY  343 

chances  and  gives  up  his  prayers,  burns  his  bridges  behind  him,  as 
it  were.  And  when  we  grow  finally  weary  of  sinning,  what  do  we 
do  but  fall  back  on  prayer?  For  even  as  the  just  man,  if  he  ceases 
to  pray,  becomes  a  sinner,  even  so,  if  the  sinner  prays,  he  becomes 
a  just  man. 

CONQUERED   BY    PASSION 

Disorderly  affections,  if  they  arc  not  beaten  down  in  the  beginning, 
become  our  greatest  tyrants.  Many  after  having  victoriously  resisted 
the  persecutions  of  the  enemies  of  the  faith,  were  afterwards  lost 
because  they  did  not  resist  the  first  assaults  of  some  earthly  passion. 

— St.  Ambrose. 

P.'VSSIONS   LAWFUL   IF   REGULATED 

Our  passions  are  not  of  themselves  bad  or  hurtful.  When 
regulated  according  to  the  dictates  of  reason  and  prudence,  they  do 
us  no  injury  but  are,  on  the  contrary,  profitable  to  the  soul,  but 
when  disorderly  they  are  productive  of  irreparable  mischief  to  those 
who  obey  them,  for  when  any  passion  takes  possession  of  the  heart, 
it  obscures  the  truth,  and  makes  the  soul  incapable  of  distinguishing 
between  good  and  evil. — St.  Alphonsns  Liguori. 

EVEN  SATAN  ABHORS  IMPURITY 

Even  the  devils  who  held  a  high  rank  in  Heaven  before  their  fall 
disdain  to  tempt  men  to  sins  of  the  flesh.  St.  Thomas  says  that  while 
Lucifer,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  devil  that  tempted  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  desert,  tempted  Him  to  commit  other  sins,  he  scorned 
to  tempt  Him  to  offend  against  chastity. 

GENERAL  GRANT'S  HATRED  OF  VULGARITY 

Of  the  many  stories  told  of  General  Grant  (Non-Cath.)  few  are 
more  to  his  credit  than  the  following:  When  some  man,  with  the 
license  of  camp  life,  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of  officers  told  a  vulgar 
story,  and,  glancing  about  him  said,  "There  are  no  women  present," 
the  general  replied:  "No,  but  there  are  men  present." 

VULGAR   JESTS 

Many  say,  of  course,  "I  mean  no  wrong;  I  only  speak  or  sing 
in  jest."  St.  Alphonsus  replies  to  such  an  excuse:  "Your  jest  will 
make  the  devil  laugh  and  will  make  you  weep  throughout  eternity." 

VULGAR  JESTS  THE  WIT  OF  FOOLS 

Sir  Horace  Walpole  (Non-Cath.),  the  great  English  statesman, 
was  wont  to  encourage  the  coarsest  anecdotes  at  his  table,  and,  when 
some  one  remonstrated  with  him  for  this,  he  made  the  cynical  reply. 
"Well,  you  see,  a  man  in  my  position  must  keep  all  sorts  of  people 
in  good  humour,  and  this  style  of  conversation  gives  every  fool  a 
chance  of  being  witty." 

MOTION  PICTURES  A  HOTBED  OF  EVTL 

The  Italian  Government  has  instituted  a  strict  censorship  of 
motion  picture  films.  In  publishing  the  decree  that  all  films  must 
be   submitted    for   approval,    the    Government   points   out   the    great 


341    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

danger  which  the  vivid  scenes  of  murder,  adidtery,  robbery  and 
other  crimes  must  have  upon  the  public,  and  especially  upon  the 
children. 


ANGER 

AXGEB 

He  who  IS  angry  with  his  brother,  although  he  should  confine 
his  anger  within  his  own  breast,  is  not  free  from  sin ;  he  who  shall 
have  given  some  indication  of  tliat  anger  sins  grievously ;  but  he 
who  dreads  not  to  treat  his  brother  with  harshness,  and  to  utter 
reproach  against  him  sins  much  more  grievously.  This,  it  is  true, 
is  to  be  understood  of  cases,  in  which  no  cause  of  being  angry  exists, 
for,  to  animadvert  on  those  who  are  subject  to  our  authority  and 
power,  if  they  commit  a  fault,  is  an  occasion  of  anger  which  is 
permitted  by  God  and  His  laws;  but  the  anger  of  a  Christian  man 
ought  to  proceed,  not  from  carnal  feeling,  but  from  the  Holy  Spirit, 
for  it  becomes  us  to  be  temples  "of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (i  Cor.  vi,  19), 
in   which  "Jesus  Christ  may  dwell"    (Eph.   ii,   17). 

— Catechism  of  the  Ccnncil  of  Trent. 

LAWFUL  ANGER 

Anger  is  an  affection  or  sentiment  of  our  nature,  and,  like  the 
sentiment  of  love,  may  be  turned  either  to  good  or  to  bad  ends, 
in  proportion  as  we  subject  it  to  reason,  or  allow  it  to  go  beyond 
the  bounds  of  reasonable  activity.  Thus,  for  instance,  we  should 
love  our  children,  but  we  should  not  allow  our  love  for  them  to 
blind  us  to  their  faults,  or  to  relieve  them  from  the  punishment 
which  is  necessary  to  train  our  children  aright.  So  we  should  be 
angry  at  injustice,  we  should  be  indignant  at  outrage,  but  we  must 
not  allow  our  anger  to  go  to  undue  lengths.  There  is,  then,  an 
anger  which  is  proper  and  reasonable,  for  it  stimulates  us  to  resist 
injustice,  to  perform  our  duty  in  correcting  those  who  are  placed 
under  our  jurisdiction,  to  arouse  public  sentiment  against  public 
dishonour,  to  defend  our  civic  rights,  to  preserve  our  native  land 
from  the  ravages  of  a  foreign  foe  or  a  domestic  enemy. 

— Hugh  T.  Henry. 

We  find,  upon  reflection,  that  when  we  are  angry  we  have  a 
desire  to  punish  in  some  way  the  one  who  has  offended  us,  together 
with  a  strong  impulse  to  carry  out  that  punishment.  When  our 
position  makes  it  a  duty  to  punish,  and  there  is  just  cause  of  offense, 
and  the  offender  is  in  some  way  subject  to  us  or  amenable  to  laws 
that  we  have  a  right  to  invoke,  our  anger  may  be  right.  I  say  may 
be  right,  because,  although,  absolutely  speaking,  it  certainly  would 
be  right  under  the  conditions  I  have  mentioned,  yet  it  is  so  very 
easy  for  us  to  deceive  ourselves  when  our  own  interests  are  in 
question. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

As  coals  are  to  burning  coals,  and  icood  to  fire,  so  an  angry  man 
stirrcth  up  strife.— Prov.  XXVI,  21. 


ANGER  34S 

Let  all  bitterness,  and  anger,  and  indignation,  and  clamour,  and 
blasphemy  be  put  azvay  from  you,  with  all  malice. — Eph.  IV,  31. 

A  passionate  man  provoketh  qunrrcls :  and  he  that  is  easily  stirred 
up  to  zvrath  shall  be  more  prone  to  sin. — Prov.  XXIX,  22. 

There  is  a  lying  rebuke  in  the  anger  of  an  injurious  man:  and 
there  is  a  judgment  that  is  not  alloived  to  be  good:  and  there  is  one 
that  holdcth  his  peace,  and  he  is  zvise. — Ecclus.  XIX,  28. 

Hast  thou  seen  a  man  hasty  to  speak f  folly  is  rather  to  be  looked 
for  than  his  amendment. — A  passionate  man  provoketh  quarrels. 

—Prov.  XXIX,  20,  22. 

rNLAnTUL  ANGER 

The  abuse  of  the  possibly  lawful  emotion  of  anger  comes  about 
in  three  ways.  Either,  having  just  cause  for  offense,  we  allow  our 
anger  to  become  immoderate,  greater  than  the  cause  justifies,  per- 
mitting it  to  gain  possession  of  us  with  little  or  no  attempt  to  restrain 
it  on  our  part,  putting  ourselves,  as  we  say,  "into  a  passion";  or  we 
may  be  unjustly  angry,  angry  without  a  cause;  or,  lastly,  we  may 
be  carried  away  by  a  vindictive  spirit  that  leads  us  to  desire  the 
infliction  of  a  punishment  upon  the  offender  greater  than  he  deserves, 
or,  even  if  he  deserves  it,  we  may  wish  to  see  him  punished  not 
because  his  action  has  been  evil,  but  to  gratify  simply  our  personal 
and  private  vengeance. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

WRATH  AND  SCORN 

The  anger  which  our  dear  Lord  condemns  is  that  causeless, 
silent  wrath,  and  its  development  into  words  of  scorn.  How  much 
suffering  has  it  not  bred !  Think  of  the  families  made  miserable  by 
that  wretched  creature  who  is  an  angel  abroad  and  a  devil  at  home! 
Think  of  the  anguish  of  mind  and  torture  of  soul  of  him  who  smothers 
his  anger,  hides  it  as  a  snake  in  his  bosom,  warms  and  cherishes  it 
there,  content  to  be  himself  undone  so  he  may  contrive  to  sting  his 
enemy !  How  the  daily  stings  and  goads,  which,  from  small  be- 
ginnings, lead  to  more  hideous  disorders,  and,  from  a  hasty  word  or 
look,  lay  the  dark  foundation  of  a  mischief  which  destroys,  ere  long, 
the  comfort  of  neighbourhoods,  the  peace  of  families  and  the  eternal 
happiness  of  souls !  The  cruel  words  of  those  who  are  angry  with 
their  brothers,  how  often  have  they  ruined  a  business,  destroyed 
family  happiness,  terminated  Christian  usefulness.  Men  doing  noble 
work,  how  have  they  been  checked,  and  even  ruined,  by  those  whose 
tongues  have  been  set  on  fire  of  hell !  The  father  in  the  home,  the 
master  in  the  shop,  the  head  of  the  school,  let  loose  the  vials  of  their 
wrath,  and  inferiors,  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  scale,  have  not  only 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  storm,  but  to  sink  their  own  judgment  and 
spend  their  lives  in  ministering  to  what  they  know  to  be  caprice. 

— /.  W.  Sullivan. 

To  be  angry  is  human,  to  overcome  anger  is  the  question. 

— St.  Jerome. 


346    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTfONS 

tONQUEKING    ANGER 

We  read  in  the  "Lives  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert"  that  a  certain 
good  religions,  finding  in  the  monastery  where  he  dwelt  many  things 
which  always  made  him  angry,  one  day  said  to  himself:  "I  see  it  is 
necessary  for  me  to  take  up  my  abode  in  the  desert,  for  there 
will  be  no  one  to  contradict  me  or  annoy  me,  and  I  shall  no  longer 
be  tempted  to  yield  to  this  terrible  sin  of  anger."  Saying  this,  he 
retired  to  the  desert,  and  built  for  himself  a  little  cell,  where  he  spent 
many  happy  days  by  himself,  without  any  one  going  near  him  to  tempt 
him  to  impatience.  But  one  day,  going  to  the  stream  to  draw  water, 
the  pitcher  which  he  placed  on  the  side  of  the  stream,  after  filling 
it,  was  overturned  three  times  successively.  Immediately  his  old 
temptation  assailed  him  again,  and  flying  into  a  passion,  he  lifted  up 
the  vessel  and  dashed  it  to  pieces.  When  calm  had  again  been  re- 
stored, he  said  to  himself:  "The  devil  has  deceived  me  in  making  me 
think  that  I  could  overcome  this  vice  of  anger  by  fleeing  the  society 
of  men.  No;  the  real  remedy  is  to  fight  it  till  I  have  overcome  it. 
Wherever  I  may  go,  I  must  meet  with  something  which  will  be  a 
temptation  to  me ;  so  instead  of  fleeing  from  it  like  a  coward,  I  must 
go  forward  resolutely  and  face  the  enemy,  and,  with  the  assistance 
of  God,  overcome  it." 


A   CURE   FOB  THE   HABIT   OF  CUBSIXG 

An  old  general,  suffering  from  rheumatism  and  gout,  was  placed 
in  a  hospital.  Whenever  his  pains  were  great  he  would  curse  horribly. 
The  sister  said  it  was  a  sin.  He  replied:  "I  cannot  help  it."  "Yes, 
you  can ;  I  know  a  remedy."  "Tell  it  to  me,  and  Til  use  it."  "Every 
time  vou  curse,  give  me  a  dollar  for  the  poor."  Hearing  this,  the 
general  thought:  "If  I  do  this,  I'll  soon  be  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse: 
but  I  must  keep  my  word."  "I'll  do  it,  sister,"  he  said.  A  few 
moments  later  his  pains  increased,  and  he  cursed.  The  sister  held  out 
her  hand,  and  he  gave  her  a  dollar;  but  he  began  to  be  on  his  guard, 
and  for  some  hours  he  kept  from  cursing.  In  the  evening  his  pains 
were  so  great  that  he  cursed  again,  and  the  sister  got  another  dollar. 
The  following  days,  though  he  suffered  much,  he  was  so  careful  that 
he  cursed  but  a  few  times,  and  soon  overcame  the  habit  altogether. 

— Ferreol  Girardcy,  C.SS.R. 

CURSING   CBEATE8  DISTRUST 

One  evening,  a  little  boy  came  into  the  sitting-room  of  a  hotel 
to  sell  his  papers.  A  man  was  sitting  by.  He  seemed  to  be  attracted 
by  the  intelligent  looks  of  the  boy,  and  said  to  him,  with  an^  oath : 
"Come  here,  my  lad ;  you  are  a  fine  boy.  Let  me  have  a  paper."  The 
boy  gave  him  the  paper,  and  received  an  extra  penny,  the  man  swear- 
ing again  that  he  was  a  fine  boy.  "What  is  your  father's  name?"  he 
asked.  "My  father  is  dead,"  said  the  boy.  "I  say,  my  litilc  fellow," 
said  the  man,  who  kept  swearing  at  almost  every  word  he  spoke,  "how 
would  you  like  to  come  and  live  with  me,  and  be  a  great  man  some 
day?"  '"I  think,"  said  the  boy  quietly,  "that  I  should  net  like  to  live 
with  a  man  who  swears  as  you  do."  The  man  was  silent.  What 
could  he  say?    And  the  little  boy  wont  on  to  sell  his  papers. 


UNTRUTHFULNESS  347 

BLA8PHEUT 

IMiey  involve  themselves  in  far  more  detestable  guilt,  who,  with 
impure  and  contaminated  mouth  dare  to  blaspheme  and  execrate  the 
most  holy  Name  of  God,  which  is  to  be  blessed  and  praised  above 
measure  by  all  creatures,  as  also  the  name  of  the  Saints  rcigjning 
with  God;  a  crime  so  atrocious,  so  monstrous,  that  sometimes  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  should  they  happen  to  speak  of  blasphemy,  use  the 
word  "blessing''  (3  Kings,  xxi,  13;  Job.  i,  2;  ii,  g). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


UNTRUTHFULNESS 

Lying  is  a  sin  against  society  and  an  offense  against  God.  It 
attacks  the  very  foundations  of  society.  Men  can  live  together  and 
make  progress  only  so  long  as  they  can  trust  one  another.  Civiliza- 
tion is  based  on  mutual  dependence,  and  mutual  dependence  with- 
out mutual  confidence  is  unthinkable.  The  more  flagrant  violaters  of 
this  trust — the  criminal  class — society  puts  behind  prison  bars.  Nor 
does  society  fail  to  punish  the  liar.  He  who  is  forever  making  lying 
excuse?,  who  is  ever  ready  with  a  denial  or  a  plausible  explanation 
when  detected  in  or  accused  of  wrong-doing,  soon  finds  himself 
charged  with  things  of  which  he  is  innocent,  and  his  denials  and 
excuses  rejected.  He  has  destroyed  the  confidence  which  his  fellows 
should  be  able  to  place  in  his  word.  The  "romancer"  and  the  chronic 
exaggerater  soon  find  even  their  lightest  word,  their  most  moderate 
statement  disregarded  and  themselves  treated  with  contempt  more  or 
less  lightly  veiled.  He  who  pretends  to  virtue  or  to  cleverness  which 
he  does  not  possess,  receives  no  credit  for  those  qualities  to  which  he 
may  justly  lay  claim,  while  he  is  cut  ofif  from  improvement  by  his 
pretense  to  perfection. — Francis  Flarvey. 

You  shall  not  lie,  neither  shall  any  man  deceive  his  neighbour. 

—Lev.  XIX,  II. 
He  that  speakeih  lies  shall  perish. — Prov.  XIX,  9. 

Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre:  with  their  tongues  they  acted 
deceitfully ;  the  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips. — Ps.  XIII,  3. 

The  deceitful  man  shall  not  find  gain :  but  the  substance  of  a  just 
man  shall  be  precious  gold. — Prov.  XII,  27. 

A  thief  is  better  than  a  man  that  is  ahvays  lying:  but  both  of  them 
shall  inherit  destruction. — Ecclus.  XX,  27. 

Lying  lips  arc  an  abomination  to  the  Lord:  but  they  that  deal 
faithfully  please  Him.— Prov.  XII,  22. 

One  day  a  friend  of  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  cried  out  to  him  by 
way  of  amusement:  "Thomas,  look  at  the  flying  ox."  St.  Thomas 
looked  around  him  in  astonishment  to  see  where  that  strange  animal 


348    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

was,  but,  of  course,  could  not  see  it  anywhere.  His  friend  then  began 
to  laugh,  and  said  to  him  that  he  was  surprised  to  see  that  he  was  so 
credulous.  But  the  Saint  replied:  "It  is  much  easier  to  believe  that 
an  ox  could  fly  than  that  a  Christian  could  tell  a  lie." 

LY1>'G,  THE  CHILD'S  FIRST  SIN 

It  IS  often  remarked  that  children  always  speak  the  truth,  yea, 
are  symbols  of  candour  and  simplicity.  Strange  to  say,  a  lie  is  their 
first  sin.  Scarcely  are  they  able  to  speak  when  they  utter  lies  to 
hide  their  little  faults  or  avoid  punishment.  Do  you  know,  parents, 
that  it  is  you  who  are  the  cause  of  the  many-  lies  of  your  sons  and 
daughters?  That  it  is  you  who  make  them  false  and  deceitful?  Why 
use  such  severity  if  a  child  happens  to  break  anything  in  the  home? 
Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  children  will  have  recourse  to  lies 
in  order  to  avoid  the  correction  in  store  for  them?  When  will  you 
realize  that  this  is  a  very  faulty  training?  Declare  unto  them  that, 
if  they  have  done  anything  wrong,  you  will  readily  forgive  them, 
provided  they  acknowledge  the  truth,  but  that  you  will  be  obliged  to 
chastize  them  rigorously  if  they  utter  one  single  untruth.  In  this  way 
you  will  prevent  them  from  becoming  deceitful  hypocrites,  and  will 
sanctify  them  in  truth. — L.  William. 

LAWFUL   EQUIVOCATION 

When  St.  Athanasius  was  compelled  to  flee  from  the  persecutors, 
he  came  upon  some  of  these  who  sought  him.  They  did  not  recognize 
him  in  his  disguise  and  asked  him  whether  Athanasius  was  far  from 
there?  "No,"  he  said,  ''he  is  not  far  from  here."  In  this  way 
Athanasius  did  not  lie,  for  he  was  indeed  not  far  from  them,  although 
he  deceived  them  by  concealing  his  identity. — P.  Hehel,  S.  J. 

LAWFUL    SrMUL.\TION 

There  are  certain  circumstances  in  which  pretense  is  not  done 
maliciously  and  in  which  it  is  perfectly  blameless.  There  is  a  pre- 
tense in  things  indifferent  in  themselves  and  done  with  a  good  purpose. 
Here  there  is  no  question  of  taking  to  one's  self  glory  to  which  one 
has  no  right,  or  of  attributing  to  others  glory  to  which  they  have  no 
right.  When  Cleophas  asked  Our  Lord,  "Art  Thou  only  a  stranger 
in  Jerusalem,  and  has  not  known  the  things  that  have  been  done  there 
in  these  days?"  He  answered,  as  if  He  did  not  know,  "What 
things?"  On  another  occasion,  as  He  drew  near  to  the  town 
of  Emmaus  with  His  disciples.  He  acted  as  if  He  did  not  know  that 
He  was  going  to  stay  there.  "He  made  as  if  He  would  go  further." 
These  are  instances  of  good  and  legitimate  pretense.  They  are  actions 
indifferent  in  themselves  but  done  with  a  good  motive.  They  ought 
not  to  be  called  by  the  name  of  "pretense"  but  by  the  name  of 
"simulation."  Just  as  there  is  the  peculiar  use  of  words  known  as 
"lawful  equivocation"  so  there  is  the  peculiar  use  of  deeds  known  as 
"lawful  simulation." — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

LAWFUL  AND  UNLAWFUL  PRETENSE 

However  difficult  it  may  be  to  give  an  exact  intellectual  repre- 
sentation of  these  two  kinds  of  acts;  and  however  awkward  it  may  be 


UNTRUTIU'ULNHSS  349 

to  niake  our  definitions  fit  in  with  all  concrete  circuinbtances,  there  is 
no  one  who  does  not  recognize  at  once  the  difference  between  the 
pretense  which  is  lawful  simulation  and  the  pretense  which  is  sinful 
hypocrisy  and  flattery.  It  all  depends  on  the  motive  with  which  the 
act  is  done.  If  the  pretense  is  in  order  to  gain  a  better  reputation 
than  that  to  which  one  has  a  right,  then  it  is  bad.  If  the  pretense  is 
in  order  to  follow  out  some  lawful  end,  then  it  is  good. 

The  story  of  St.  Athanasius  at  the  Council  of  Tyre  well  illustrates 
our  meaning.  The  Arian  party  had  brought  an  accusation  against  him 
of  having  insulted  a  young  girl.  Athanasius  appeared  before  the 
Council  and  with  him  a  priest  called  Timothy.  Timothy  pretended  he 
was  Athanasius  and  thus  spoke  to  the  accuser:  "You  say  that  I  have 
been  with  you?"  "Yes,"  she  replied  on  oath,  "you  have  sinned  with 
me."  In  this  way,  by  the  simulation  of  Timothy,  the  fair  name  of 
Athanasius  was  saved.  When  Timothy  for  the  time  being  assumed 
the  role  of  Athanasius,  it  was  not  with  a  view  of  persuading  every- 
body that  he  had  the  virtues  of  Athanasius,  but  simply  and  solely  with 
a  view  to  preserving  Athanasius'  good  name.  It  is  the  motive  which 
gives  the  character  to  the  act  in  matters  of  pretense.  The  conduct 
of  Timothy  was  that  of  lawful  simulation. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

A  LIE  TOLD  rx  JEST 

A  man  of  a  fun-loving  disposition  was  once  writing  a  letter  at  his 
desk,  when  his  little  daughter  stole  up  beside  him.  The  child,  seeing 
ten  bright  gold  coins  lying  near  her  father's  hand,  asked  where  they 
came  from.  With  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  he  replied:  "Little  one,  don't 
you  know  those  bright  dollars  grow  on  a  bush  called  the  gold  bush? 
They  are  planted  in  the  ground  like  beans,  and  the  plant  grows  with 
dollars  hanging  on  the  branches."  It  was  only  a  simple  joke,  that  any 
older  mind  would  not  credit,  but  the  child  believed  implicitly  every 
word  falling  from  the  lips  of  her  father.  So  while  he  continued 
writing,  she  quietly  took  the  money,  ran  out  into  the  garden,  and 
buried  it  in  the  ground.  Then  she  joyously  returned  to  his  side, 
saying:  "You'll  have  a  fine  lot  of  dollars  now,  father.  I  planted  every 
one."  In  consternation  the  man  sprang  from  his  desk.  "Come  with 
me  immediately,  child,"  he  said,  "and  show  me  where  you  put  them." 
Vainly  did  the  little  one  point  out  the  spot ;  the  gold  was  not  to  be 
found.  Either  she  had  forgotten  the  plac;,  or  else,  someone,  seeing 
her  action,  had  removed  it  during  her  absence.  This  shows  us  what 
an  unlooked-for  consequence  sometimes  results  from  a  lie  told  in  jest. 

— Frederick  Renter. 


HYPOCRISY 

HYPOCRISY 

The  sin  of  hypocrisy  is  by  no  means  the  worst  of  sins.  Yet  such 
is  its  character  that  it  is  about  the  worst  sin  a  man  would  care  to  have 
attributed  to  him.  There  is  an  especial  lowness  about  it  which  places 
it  lower  in  public  estimation  than  many  sins  which  are  in  themselves 
more  grievous.  To  have  won  the  reputation  of  being  a  hypocrite 
is  to  have   gone  down   to   the   lowest   depths  of  social   degradation. 


350    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  hWSTRUCTIONS 

Hypocrisy  is  a  species  of  lying.  Still,  I  think,  a  man  would  rather  be 
called  a  liar  than  a  hypocrite.  Our  Lord  held  up  the  mirror  to  this 
vice  in  His  scathing  rebuke  of  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees.  He 
whose  pure  soul  reflected  eternal  truth.  He  whose  keen  gaze  pierced 
all  things  through  and  through,  had  a  special  horror  of  finding  pre- 
tense in  a  human  soul. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

Be  not  a  hypocrite  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  let  not  thy  lips  he  a 
stumbling-block  to  thee. — Eccltts.  I,  37. 

No  hypocrite  shall  come  before  His  Presence. — Job   XHI,  16. 

What  is  the  hope  of  the  hypocrite  if  through  covetoxisness  he  take 
by  violence,  and  God  deliver  not  his  sonl? — Will  God  hear  his  cry 
when  distress  shall  come  upon  him? — Job  XX VH,  8-9. 

Wo  to  you  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  because  you  shut  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  against  men:  for  you  yourselves  do  not  enter  in, 
end  those  that  are  going  in  you  suffer  not  to  enter. — Wo  to  you 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  because  you  devour  the  houses  of 
widozi's,  praying  long  prayers.  For  this  you  shall  receive  the  greater 
judgment. — 'Matt.  XXHI.  13,  14- 

RELIGIOUS    DISHONESTY 

Religious  dishonesty  is  better  known  by  the  name  of  false  piety. 
It  also  bears,  as  a  sad  monument  and  a  standing  reproach  of  its 
typical  representatives,  the  name  of  pharisaism.  Mankind  has  shown 
its  condemnation  for  the  Pharisees  by  labeling  with  their  name  one 
of  the  ugliest  and  most  despised  vices.  Religious  dishonesty  degrades 
piety  into  a  mere  outward  exercise  and  makes  it  the  tool  of  self- 
interest.  It  is  particularly  loathsome  in  the  eyes  of  God,  to  whom 
lying  lips  are  an  abomination  and  who  is  jealous  of  His  glory. 

— Charles  P.  Bruehl. 

RELIGIOUS   PRETENSE 

We  should  be  wrong,  perhaps,  in  calling  the  sin  of  religious 
pretense  the  very  worst  of  sins;  but  it  certainly  may  be  described 
as  the  most  odious,  and  as  one  which  even  the  irreligious  regard  with 
a  large  amount  of  contempt.  But  the  pity  of  it  is  that,  in  yet  another 
manner,  under  circumstances  differing  from  those  already  mentioned, 
it  has  wrought  untold  harm,  filling  the  world  with  bitterness  and 
strife.  Not  one  of  those  unhappy  persons  wlio  have  separated 
themselves  from  the  Church  of  Christ  and  finished  by  setting  up 
some  new  kind  of  religion,  has  been  at  all  backward  in  the  profuse 
use  of  pious  language.  The  "Lord,  Lord,"  has  been  a  very  favorite 
phrase  with  them.  They  have,  all  of  them,  had  a  large  supply  of 
prayers  upon  their  lips.  Their  talk,  their  expressions,  made  them 
seem  like  saints.  Arius,  the  first  notable  person  to  deny  the  Divinity 
of  Our  Lord,  was  regarded  liy  his  followers  as  an  eminently  God- 
fearing man.  Nestorius,  who  refused  to  acknowledge  that  Our 
Lady  was  the  Mother  of  God,  was  looked  upon  as  a  most  saintly 
person.  Martin  Luther  is  even  at  the  present  day  esteemed  by 
thousands   as   having  been   extremely   holy.     Nevertheless,   the   two 


SLANDER;  DETRACTION  851 

former  were  remarkable  for  their  haughtiness  and  their  cruelty,  and 
the  last  was  so  filled  with  imperfections  of  a  serious  nature  that  the 
impartial  historian  finds  the  search  after  his  virtues  to  be  a  somewhat 
fruitless  task. — John   Frccland. 

Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart,  the  mouth  speaketh. — A  good 
man,  out  of  a  good  treasure,  bringcth  forth  good  things:  and  an 
evil  man,  out  of  an  evil  treasure,  bringcth  forth  evil  tilings. 

—Matt.  XII,  34-35. 

Many  have  fallen  by  the  edge  of  the  sword:  but  not  so  many 
as  have  perished  by  their  own  tongue. — Ecclus.  XXVIII,  22. 

In  the  )nultitude  of  luords  there  shall  not  zuant  sin:  but  he  that 
refraineth  his  lips  is  most  wise. — Prov.  X,  19. 

Behold,  hozv  small  a  fire  what  a  great  zvood  it  kindleth!  And  the 
tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  iniquity. — The  tongue  is  placed  among  our 
mcuibers,  which  defileth  the  whole  body,  and  inflameth  the  wheel 
of  our  nativity,  being  set  on  lire  by  hell. — James  III,  5-6. 

A  deceitful  tongue  lovcth  not  truth,  and  a  slippery  mouth  worketh 
ruin.— Prov.  XXVI,  28. 

They  have  sharpened  their  tongues  like  a  serpent;  the  venom  of 
asps  is  under  their  lips. — Ps.  CXXXIX,  4. 

Their  tongue  is  a  piercing  arrozv,  it  hath  spoken  deceit:  with  his 
mouth  one  speaketh  peace  with  his  friend,  and  secretly  he  lietli  in 
wait  for  him. — Jcr.  IX,  8. 

A  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to  speak. — Eccl.  Ill,  7. 
SLANDER;    DETRACTION 

DETRACTION 

By  this  commandment  is  forbidden  not  only  false  testimony,  but 
also  the  detestable  propensity  and  habit  of  detraction,  from  which 
pest  it  is  incredible  how  many  and  what  serious  inconveniences  and 
evils  spring.  This  vice  of  speaking  ill  and  contumeliously  of  others 
in  private,  the  Sacred  Scriptures  everywhere  reprobate;  "with  him,'' 
says  David,  "  I  would  not  eat"  (Ps.  c,  5)  ;  and  St.  James:  "Detract 
not  one  another,  brethren"  (James  iv,  11).  Nor  do  the  Sacred 
Scriptures 'Supply  precepts  only  on  the  subject,  but  also  examples, 
by  which  is  made  known  the  magnitude  of  this  vice;  for  Aman,  by 
forged  charges,  so  incensed  Assuerus  against  the  Jews,  that  he 
ordered  all  the  people  of  that  nation  to  be  destroyed  (Esther,  xiii). 
Sacred  history  abounds  with  similar  examples,  by  the  relation  of 
which  priests  will  endeavour  to  deter  the  faithful  from  such  wicked- 
ness.— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


352    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

DETRACTORS 

That  the  force  of  this  sin  of  detraction  may  be  fully  understood, 
we  must  know  that  the  reputation  of  men  is  injured  not  only  by 
calumniating  their  character,  but  likewise  by  exaggerating  and 
amplifying  their  faults;  and  should  anything  have  been  committed 
by  any  one  in  secret,  which,  when  made  known,  must  be  seriously 
injurious  to  his  character,  he  who,  at  a  time,  in  a  place,  before 
persons,  when,  where,  before  whom,  it  was  unnecessary,  has  given 
publicity  to  the  matter,  is  justly  called  a  detractor  and  a  slanderer. 
But  of  all  slanders  there  is  none  more  criminal  than  that  of  those 
who  slander  the  Catholic  doctrine  and  its  teachers ;  in  the  same 
class  are  those  who  exalt  with  praises  the  teachers  of  false  and 
erroneous  doctrines. — Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent 

The  detractor  is  the  abomination  of  men. — Prov.  XXIV,  9. 

The  whisperer  and  the  double-tongued  is  accursed:  for  he  hath 
troubled  many  that  were  at  peace. — Ecclus.  XXVIII,  15. 

Be  not  called  a  whisperer,  and  be  not  taken  in  thy  tongue,  and 
confounded.— For  confusion  and  repentance  is  upon  a  thief,  and 
an  evil  mark  of  disgrace  upon  the  double-tongued:  but  to  the 
whisperer,  hatred,  and  enmity,  and  reproach. — Ecclus.  V,   16-17. 

Blessed  is  he  that  is  defended  from  a  wicked  tongue,  that  hath 
not  passed  into  the  wrath  thereof,  and  that  hath  not  drawn  the  yoke 
thereof,  and  hath  not  been  bound  in  its  bands. — For  its  yoke  is  a  yoke 
of  iron :  and  its  bands  are  bands  of  brass. — The  death  thereof  is  a 
most  evil  death :  and  hell  is  preferable  to  it. — Ecclus.  XXVIII,  23-25. 

//  o  serpent  bite  in  silence,  he  is  nothing  better  that  backbiteth 
secretly. — Eccl.  X,  11. 

Being  idle  they  learn  to  go  about  from  house  to  house,  and  arc 
not  only  idle  but  tattlers  also,  and  busybodies,  speaking  things  which 
they  ought  not. — I  Tim.  V,  13. 

THE  COMMON  EXCUSE   OF   DETRACTORS 

The  one  who  is  guilty  of  detraction  usually  defends  himself  by 
asserting  that  he  is  speaking  the  truth.  This  is  far  from  being  an 
extenuating  circumstance.  The  injury  done  is  often  all  the  greater 
because  of  the  whole  or  partial  truth  of  the  statement.  When  a  man 
is  forced  to  admit  that  the  charge  is  substantially  true,  what  hope 
has  he  of  establishing  his  injured  reputation?  He  who  has  suffered 
from  slander  can  at  least  gain  the  championship  and  the  sympathy 
of  some  few  who  have  heard  the  charge,  but  the  victim  of  detraction 
is  forced  to  hang  his  head  in  shame,  or  to  bear  with  what  silent 
fortitude  he  can  the  cold  looks  and  harsli  criticisms  that  are  meted 
out  to  him. — Francis  Harvey. 

They  who  appeared  against  Our  Lord  at  His  trial  are  known 
as  the  false   witnesses,  yet  their  testimony  wns  in  part  true.     They 


SLANDER:   DETRACTION  353 

said,  "We  heard  liim  say,  I  will  destroy  this  temple  that  is  made 
with  hands,  and  within  three  days  I  will  build  another  made  without 
hands."  What  lie  really  said  was.  "If  you  destroy  this  temple  (the 
temple  of  His  body)  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up."  Strange  that 
the  professed  enemies  of  Christ  should  find  so  many  disciples  among 
those  who  claim  to  be  followers  of  the  Incarnate  Charity. 

— Erancis  Harvey. 

By  revealing  the  defects  of  another  we  make  our  own  vice 
known. — St.  Ignatius. 

THE    TALE-BE.VRER 

The  tale-bearer  listens  with  devilish  glee,  and  then  is  off  to  relate 
what  he  has  heard  where  it  will  do  the  most  harm.  This  mischief- 
maker  does  not  announce  to  a  gaping  public,  like  the  other,  all  that 
he  has  ferreted  out,  but  with  a  fine  discrimination  picks  the  party 
that  should  not  properly  be  informed  and  desires  it  least.  He  cheer- 
fully carries  his  Pandora's  box  of  trouble  to  a  spot  where  peace 
and  harmony  have  hitherto  reigned,  opens  it,  leaves  it,  and  then 
goes  away  with  satisfaction  in  his  heart.  On  his  way,  with  a  word 
here  and  a  word  there,  he  will  help  along  the  work  of  havoc  and 
destruction  wherever  he  espies  a  favourable  opening;  and  departing, 
leaves  behind  him  a  trail  of  misery  and  strife.  Thus  are  friendships 
severed,  distrust  engendered,  suspicions  aroused,  etc.  After-explana- 
tions avail  little,  once  the  seed  of  evil  has  been  planted  in  the  breast 
of  the  aggrieved  one.  By  a  word  the  harm  is  done ;  many  words 
have  not  the  power  to  undo  it. — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

DETRACTION    C.4NNOT    BE   REPAIRED 

A  pious  and  noble  lady,  penitent  of  St.  Philip  Neri,  related  the 
followmg  about  herself.  She  one  day  confessed  to  the  Saint  that 
she  had  spoken  to  two  or  three  persons  of  some  light  hidden  fault 
of  a  friend  of  hers.  St.  Philip  ordered  her,  as  a  penance,  to  buy  a 
chicken  at  the  market  and  bring  it  to  him,  passing  through  several 
frequented  streets  and  plucking  a  feather  from  the  chicken  at  every 
step.  She  did  so,  and  when  she  had  handed  him  the  featherless 
chicken,  he  told  her:  "Now  go  back  the  same  way,  pick  up  all  the 
feathers  you  dropped  and  bring  them  to  me."  "But,  father,  I  cannot, 
for  they  have  been  scattered  all  over  the  city."  "And  also  your 
detraction  has  gone  all  over  the  city  and  you  cannot  repair  it." 

— Ferrcol  Girardcv,  C.  SS.  R. 

LISTENING  TO   DETRACTORS 

St.  Jerome  and  St.  Bernard  write :  "Whether  the  detractor  or  the 
listener  is  the  more  criminal  it  is  not  easy  to  decide;"  for  if  there 
were  no  listeners,  there  would  be  no  detractors.  To  the  same  class 
belong  those,  who  by  their  artifices  cause  divisions  and  dissensions 
among  men,  and  who  feel  a  particular  pleasure  in  sowing  discord ; 
thus  severing,  by  fiction  and  falsehood,  the  closest  friendships  and 
social  ties,  and  driving  to  endless  hatred  and  to  arms  the  fondest 
friends.  Of  such  pestilent  characters  the  Lord  expresses  His  detesta- 
tion in  these  words :  "Thou  shalt  not  be  a  detractor,  nor  a  whisperer 
among  the  people"    (Lev.  xix,   i6).     Of  this  description  were  the 


354    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

advisors  of  Saul,  who  strove  to  alienate  his  affection  from,  and  to 
exasperate  him  against,  King  David  (i  Kings,  xxiv,  40,  xxvi,  19). 

— Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

AVOIDING  DETRACTION 

When  we  are  under  the  necessity  of  exposing  a  person's  faults 
we  should  also  speak  of  his  virtues  and  good  qualities,  in  order  not 
to  weaken  the  esteem  of  others  for  him. — St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

SLANDER 

Who  steals  my  purse,  steals  trash; 
But   he   who   filches   from  me   my   good   name, 
Robs  me  of  that,  which  not  enriches  him, 
And  makes  me  poor  indeed. 

— Shakespere. 

He  hath  opened  a  pit  and  dug  it,  and  he  is  fallen  into  the  hole 
he  made. — Ps.  VII,  16. 

Hast  thou  heard  a  word  against  thy  neighbour?  let  it  die  within 
thee. — Ecclus.  XIX,  10. 

THE  SLANDERER  WORSE  THAN  THE  CAiCMNIATOB 

If  I  were  asked  which  of  the  two  exercises  the  most  destructive 
influence  on  society,  the  calumniator  or  the  slanderer,  the  man  who 
out  of  sheer  malice  invents  gross  falsehoods  about  his  neighbour's 
character  or  the  man  who,  from  vanity,  or  a  petty  garrulous  spirit, 
is  forever  detracting  the  little  faults  of  acquaintances,  I  should  answer 
without  hesitation  that  it  was  the  slanderer,  because  gross  calumnies 
are  generally  easily  detected,  but  it  is  petty  slander  that  lives  and 
works  its  poisonous  way  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  individuals. 

— P.  A.  Sheehan. 

A   PECCLIAKITY  OF  SLANDER 

A  peculiarity  of  the  slanderous  story  is  that  no  one  owns  it. 
It  is  like  the  little  stone  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  "cut  without 
hands  out  of  the  mountain,"  which  smote  the  goodly  statue  of  gold 
and  iron  and  clay  and  laid  it  low.  Slander,  like  the  "little  stone," 
came  into  being  "without  hands,"  but  every  hand  is  outstretched 
to  give  it  momentum  in  its  onward  course,  while  each  disowns  the 
destruction  wrought  when  the  fair  character  lies  in  ruins. 

In  England  there  used  to  be  a  game  played  called  "scandal." 
The  company  sat  in  a  circle.  One  whispered  some  story — generally 
a  bit  of  gossip — to  his  neighbour,  who  in  turn  repeated  it  to  tlie  one 
next  to  him,  and  so  on  to  the  end.  The  amusement — and,  as  a  rule, 
the  astonishment — came  when  the  story  told  by  the  first  was 
compared  with  that  received  by  the  last.    Truly  an  instructive  game. 

— Francis  Harvey. 

THE    BACKBITER 

The  backbiter  is  of  a  keenly  observant,  even  prying,  disposition. 
He  has  a  fine,  well  developed  scent  for  unsavoury  gossip,  a  good 
memory  for  evil,  and  a  natural  itching  for  retailing  all  he  sees 
and  hears  that  reflects  on  others  and  will  provoke  his  hearers 
to  merriment  and  laughter.     His  mind  is  well  stored;   he  learns  a 


RASH  JUDGMENT  355 

great  deal  and  forgets  nothing;  and  no  tale  loses  with  him  in  the 
telling.  He  watches  especially  those  whom  he  dislikes  or  against 
whom  he  bears  ill-feeling  or  hatred.  Any  fault  or  blunder  that  he 
discovers,  he  blazons  forth  with  delight.  He  is  known  far  and 
wide.  He  is  feared  and  detested,  even  while  he  seems  to  entertain, 
for  "the  venom  of  asps  is  under  his  lips."  His  unfailing  topic 
of  conversation  being  other  people's  foibles  and  mistakes,  he  becomes 
to  the  community  in  which  he  resides  a  walking  bill-board  of  gossip 
and  scandal. — Thomas  J.  Gcrrard. 

SILENCING    CALUMNY 

While  several  gentlemen  were  one  day  dining  with  a  bishop,  one 
of  the  guests  opened  a  slanderous  conversation  about  an  absent 
person.  In  order  to  silence  the  calumniator,  the  prelate,  calling 
one  of  his  servants,  ordered  him  to  go  and  bring  the  gentleman 
whose  character  had  been  attacked.  Immediately  the  slanderer 
begged  his  host  to  revoke  the  order,  and  not  another  word  of 
detraction  escaped  his  lips. — Frederick  Renter. 

THE  RESULT  OF  CALUMNY 

In  the  days  when  the  first  Christian  missionaries  went  to  Japan 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  natives,  certain  merchants  from  Holland 
went  to  the  emperor  and  told  him  that  the  only  aim  these  mission- 
aries had  was  to  bring  the  Portuguese  and  the  Spaniards  into  the 
country,  that  in  time  they  might  take  possession  of  it  and  add  it  to 
their  dominions.  This  great  calumny  was  the  source  of  the  ruin 
of  religion  in  that  empire,  and  the  cause  of  a  great  persecution 
which  was  raised  against  the  Christians  who  dwelt  in  it. 

At  that  time  there  were  400,000  Christians  in  Japan ;  forty  years 
afterwards  there  was  not  even  one  to  be  found  in  the  whole  empire. 
This  was  the  result  of  a  lie  which  was  raised  by  the  cupidity  of 
these  merchants,  wlio  wished  to  be  the  only  ones  who  would  have  a 
right  to  come  into  that  country. 

CALUMNY  OK  TRUTH? 

Evil  or  ill-informed  men  calumniate  you;  pray  God  never  to  let 
any  harm  be  said  of  you  which  is  not  calumny. — St.  Ignatius. 

RASH   JUDGMENT 

JUDGE  NOT! 

To  have  no  opinion  of  ourselves,  and  to  think  always  well  and 
commendably  of  others,  is  great  wisdom  and  high  perfection. 

• — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

RASH   JUDGMENT 

It  is  said  that  Coleridge  gave  to  Allston  regarding  art  the  advice : 
"Never  judge  a  picture  by  its  defects";  and  the  advice  is  good  to 
apply  to  men.  Too  often  our  judgments  are  not  only  uncharitable 
but  based  on  insufficient  evidence. 

"A  painting,"  says  another,  "has  a  right  to  be  judged  in  the  best 
light."  Shall  we  not  give  to  man  then  as  much,  in  the  way  of  fair- 
ness and  charity? 


356    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

"I  hate  the  man !"  exclaimed  Charles  Lamb  one  day  when  a  gentle- 
man's name  was  mentioned.  "Why,  you  do  not  even  know  him," 
was  the  reply  of  his  friends,  "That  is  the  reason  why  I  hate  him," 
replied  the  genial  wit. 

Before  judging  let  us  be  sure  that  we  have  all  the  facts  of  the 
case,  nor  trust  to  appearances  or  the  mere  word  of  others.  Let  us 
dread  to  impute  improper  motives,  but  rather  be  inclined  to  excuse 
an  act,  if  evil,  on  the  ground  of  ignorance  or  misconception,  or  good, 
'though  mistaken,  motives.  When  there  is  no  defense  possible,  why 
not  attribute  the  fault  to  human  infirmity  and  frailty,  for  which  we 
can  well  afford  to  make  some  allowance.  The  advice  of  St.  Bernard 
is  good:  "If  you  can  not  excuse  the  deed,  excuse  the  intention.  Attri- 
bute the  fault  to  ignorance,  to  surprise,  to  frailty.  If  the  act  be  of 
so  vile  a  nature  that  it  can  not  be  justified  by  any  plea  of  that  sort, 
attribute  it  to  a  violent  temptation,  and  say  to  yourself:  'If  I  had  been 
so  violently  tempted,  what  now  would  I  be  !'  " — Thomas  J.  Gerrard. 

"How  were  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  kept  clean  ?"  asked  a  Scotch 
peasant  of  a  Presbyterian  elder,  who  was  bearing  somewhat  too  hard 
upon  his  delinquencies  without  being  quite  a  saint  himself.  "I  never 
heard,"  replied  the  elder.  "Well,  I'll  tell  you;  every  man  swept  before 
his  own  door." 

THE  BAG   OF  SAND 

St.  Prior,  a  hermit  of  Nitria,  was  very  harsh  and  severe  towards 
himself,  but  indulgent  and  charitable  to  others.  One  day,  when  he 
was  present  at  an  assembly  of  solitaries  in  the  desert,  they  began  to 
confer  on  divers  subjects  of  piety.  After  a  little  while,  some  of  the 
monks  came  io  speak  of  a  grave  fault  committed  by  a  brother  who 
was  not  there.  St.  Prior  at  first  kept  silent,  but  afterwards,  per- 
ceiving that  they  still  continued  to  wound  charity,  he  quitted  the 
assembly,  took  a  sack,  filled  it  with  sand  and  laid  it  on  his  shoulders. 
He  also  took  a  small  basket,  put  a  little  sand  in  the  bottom  and  took 
it  in  his  hand.  It  was  in  this  singular  state  that  he  again  made  his 
appearance  among  his  solitaries.  You  may  imagine  how  eagerly 
every  one  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  that.  "Alas!"  he  answered 
with  a  sigh,  "this  sack  of  sand  represents  my  numberless  sins  and 
transgressions,  but  I  take  care  to  carry  them  behind  my  back,  so  as 
not  to  see  them ;  this  basket,  on  the  contrary,  which  contains  only  a 
little  sand,  represents  the  faults  of  others,  which  I  have  before  my  eyes 
to  judge  and  condemn  them.  Would  it  not  be  better  for  me  to  carry 
my  sins  before  me  to  bewail  them,  and  pray  to  God  to  forgive  them-, 
than  to  meddle  with  those  of  others  ?"  This  discourse,  so  ingenious 
and  so  true,  touched  the  solitaries;  they  not  only  ceased  to  speak  of 
the  faults  of  others,  but  agreed  that  it  was  only  by  acting  so  that 
salvation  could  be  attained. — Lives  of  the  Fathers. 

JUDGE  NOT  BY  APPEAR.'VNCES 

An   Apostle   and   a   robber   died   about   the   same   hour   when    the 


SCANDAL  357 

Redeemer  was  crucified  for  their  salvation;  the  thief  enter  into  Para- 
dise, the  Apostle  was  lost  eternally. — Bishop  Bcllord. 

Judge  not  according  to  the  appearance,  but  judge  just  judgment. 

—John  VII,  24. 


SCANDAL 

SCANDAI. 

Consider  how  the  angel-guardians  of  those  little  ones  weep  at 
seeing  them  in  the  state  of  sin,  and  how  they  call  for  vengeance  from 
God  against  the  sacrilegious  tongues  that  have  scandalized  them. 

— St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

It  is  enough  to  say,  that  they  who  give  scandal  rob  God  of  a 
child,  and  murder  a  soul,  for  whose  salvation  he  has  spent  His  Blood 
and  His  Life. — St.  Alphonsus  Liguori. 

SCANDAL   GIVKRS 

In  speaking  of  other  sinners,  the  Scriptures  hold  out  hopes  of 
amendment  and  pardon ;  but  they  speak  of  those  who  give  scandal 
as  persons  separated  from  God,  for  whose  salvation  there  is  very 
little  hope. 

SCANDAL,  EAST  TO  FIND 

Even  though  you  would  live  among  angels,  but  unduly  scrutinize 
their  acts  you  would  find  fault  with  many  things,  and  take  scandal, 
because  you  would  not  understand  the  inner  motive  of  their  actions. 

— Albertus  Magnus. 

SCANDALS   LN    THE   CHURCH 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  Church  should  be  free  from  all 
scandals.  She  has  to  do  a  difficult  work  with  unpromising  material. 
She  has  to  deal,  not  with  the  perfect,  but  with  very  imperfect  men, 
weak,  beset  with  temptations,  struggling  painfully  from  the  lower  to 
the  higher  life.  In  that  path  there  are  many  bitter  experiences,  many 
relapses,  many  total  failures.  Time  brings  no  change:  the  Church's 
work  must  always  be  imperfect,  for  it  will  not  be  finished  till  the  Son 
of  Man  comes  in  judgment.  Her  life  will  always  be  a  struggle  against 
wickedness  both  inside  as  well  as  outside  her  fold,  scandals  will  always 
dog  her  footsteps  while  she  fulfils  her  mission  of  holiness,  as  the 
shadow  follows  him  who  walks  in  the  sunlight. — Bishop  Bellord. 

He  that  shall  scandalize  one  of  these  little  ones  that  believe  in  Me, 
it  zvere  better  for  him  that  a  mill-stone  should  be  hanged  about  his 
neck,  and  that  he  should  be  dronmed  in  the  depth  of  the  sea. — Wo  to 
the  world  because  of  scandals!  For  it  must  needs  be  that  scandals 
come:  but  nevertheless  wo  to  that  man  by  whom  the  scandal  cometh! 

—Matt.  XVIII,  6-7. 


358    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 
UNLAWFUL    GAIN 

THEFT 

Of  open,  direct  theft  much  need  not  be  said.  Its  heinousness  is 
fairly  well  recognized.  What  needs  to  be  thoroughly  insisted  upon, 
is  that  sinful  extravagance  and  gambling  are  of  a  piece  with  theft,  as 
surely  as  impure  words  and  impure  thoughts  are  of  a  piece  with  the 
most  flagrant  violations  of  the  Sixth  Commandment. 

But  theft  is  not  always  open  and  direct.  How  often  in  the  day 
is  God's  commandment  broken  by  the  dishonest  tradesman  who  gives 
short  weight,  or  who  charges  exorbitant  prices?  How  many  children 
pilfer  from  their  parents,  and  how  many  parents  make  light  of  such 
pilfering,  forgetful  that  the  child  is  a  criminal  in  the  sight  of  God ! 
"He  that  stealeth  anything  from  his  father,  or  from  his  mother,  and 
saith.  This  is  no  sin,  is  the  partner  of  a  murderer."  How  often  do  we 
see  workmen  shirking  their  work,  or  doing  it  with  wilful  negligence? 
They  sell  eight  hours  of  labour  and  give  five  or  six.  What  are  such 
men  but  thieves,  who  are  bound  before  the  tribunal  of  God's  justice. 
This  is  a  condition  of  affairs  that  is  becoming  appallingly  common.  It 
seems  that  the  better  are  the  terms  obtained  by  labour  the  more  preva- 
lent grows  this  theft  of  time  and  service.  Men  selfishly  disregard 
the  interests  of  the  employer  to  whose  service  they  have  bound  them- 
selves: but  call  to  mind  the  saying  of  St.  Luke:  "He  that  is  unjust  in 
that  which  is  little  is  unjust  also  in  that  which  is  greater.  If  you 
have  not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is  another's  who  will  give  you 
that  which  is  your  own?" 

On  the  other  hand,  we  have  those  who  defraud  the  workmen  of 
their  rightful  wages,  taking  advantage  of  their  necessity  or  ignor- 
ance to  cheat  them  into  an  agreement  to  work  for  less  than  their 
labour  is  worth ;  who  make  an  unnecessary  delay  in  paying  their 
wages  or  defraud  them  entirely.  These  are  "sins  that  cry  to  heaven 
for  vengeance." — Francis  Harvey. 

Be  not  anxious  for  goods  unjustly  gotten:  for  they  shall  not  profit 
thee  in  the  day  of  calamity  and  revenge. — For  confusion  and  repent- 
ance is  upon  a  thief. — Ecclus.  V,  lo,  17. 

The  robberies  of  the  wicked  shall  be  their  dozvnfall,  because  they 
wotild  not  do  judgment. — Prov.  XXI,  7, 

Some  distribute  their  own  goods,  and  grow  richer:  others  take 
away  what  is  not  their  own,  and  are  always  in  want. — Prov.  XI,  24. 

STEAJ.ING 

There  are  more  ways  than  one  of  stealing  the  property  of  others, 
and  it  is  not  always  the  man  who  breaks  into  your  house  that  is 
the  biggest  thief.  You  know,  only  too  well,  how  our  modern  society 
is  overrun  with  defrauders  of  every  kind;  the  millionaire  who  has 
become  rich  by  fraudulent  speculation ;  the  company  promoter  who 
lures  the  unwary  to  entrust  to  him  their  hard-earned  competence 
with  which  they  had  hoped  to  make  secure  a  happy  evening  to  their 
lives  of  toil;  the  commercial  men  who  make  huge  profits  by  the  sales 


UNLAWFUL   GAIN  359 

of  adulterated  commodities,  ruinin,2f  not  only  the  pockets  but  the 
health  of  those  who  buy  of  them ;  the  employers  of  labourers  who  take 
advantage  of  the  wide-spread  poverty  and  the  pressing  necessities  of 
the  poor  to  extort  from  them  hard  labour — labour  that  costs  not  only 
the  sweat  of  their  brows  but  their  very  life  blood — at  far  less  than 
that  living  wage  that  is  the  just  right  of  everyone  who  is  willing  to 
work  for  it — all  these,  dear  brethren,  are  in  reality  thieves;  yes,  and 
more  than  thieves — oppressors,  tyrants,  and  even  murderers. 

So,  too,  many  who  cheat  upon  a  smaller  scale  are  not  free  from 
the  same  reproach.  The  store-keeper  who  sells  under  weight ;  the 
employee  who  scamps  his  work,  every  man  who  deludes  people  by 
means  of  false  advertisements  in  which  lying  statements  are  made 
as  to  the  quality  of  the  goods  or  the  services  which  he  offers  to  the 
public — all  these  are  thieves ;  for  he  who  obtains  money  or  any  other 
valuables  by  cheating,  is  a  thief,  and  guilty  of  sin,  more  or  less  grave, 
according  to  the  amount  of  which  another  is  deprived  against  the 
virtue  of  justice. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

DISHONEST   OB  IMPRIDENT  MAKING   OF   DEBTS 

The  contracting  of  debts  with  the  intention  of  not  paying  them,  or 
with  culpable  rashness  and  imprudence,  is  a  sin  for  which  men  will 
have  to  answer  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Jesus  Christ.  How  much 
suffering  and  misery  are  not  these  men  responsible  for ;  suffering  to 
those  to  whom  they  owe  money;  suffering  to  their  own  families,  dis- 
grace and  even  destitution  to  those  dependent  upon  them,  when  at 
last  the  evil  day  comes  and  their  long-suffering  creditors  will  wait 
no  longer !  Let  Christian  parents,  and  all  who  have  charge  of  the 
young,  point  out  to  them  how  entirely  contrary  to  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  such  a  practice ;  and  warn  them  against  the  induce- 
ments that  traders  will  often  hold  out  to  persuade  them  to  purchase 
things  that  are  both  needless  to  them  and  beyond  their  means. 

— //.   G.  Hughes. 

THE  DEATH  OF  A  USUBER 

There  was  once  a  usurer  at  the  point  of  death.  He  saw  that  his 
days  were  numbered,  and  having  professed  the  Catholic  Faith,  he  was 
anxious  to  die  a  good  death.  A  priest  was  sent  for,  who.  discovering 
that  the  riches  he  had  amassed  had  been  obtained  by  unjust  means, 
urged  him  to  make  restitution  before  he  died,  as  the  only  way  of 
securing  his  salvation.  '"But  what  will  become  of  my  children  if  I 
do  this?"  said  the  dying  man.  "The  salvation  of  your  soul  is  of 
infinitely  more  importance  to  you  than  the  temporal  well-being  of 
your  family."  answered  the  priest. 

After  a  few  moments  of  silent  reflection  he  roused  himself,  and 
said  to  the  priest:  "I  cannot  do  what  you  ask,  and  I  will  take  the 
consequences  upon  myself." 

He  turned  his  face  towards  the  wall,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
was  dead. 

THE  DEATH  OF  A  SnSER 

A  certain  man  who  was  very  rich,  but  who  had  obtained  his  riches 
by  unlawful  means,  and  who  had  lived  for  this  world  alone,  lay  at 
the  point  of  death.     Seeing  that  his  end  was  near,  he  sent  for  his 


?a;o  illustrations  for  sermons  and  instructions 

lawyer  and  witnesses,  that  he  might  make  his  last  will  and  testament 
before  he  died.  When  they  came,  he  began  to  dictate  to  them  his 
will  in  these  words:  "I  leave  my  body  to  the  earth,  from  which  it 
came,  and  I  leave  my  soul  to  Satan,  to  whom  it  belongs."  When  tl  cse 
who  were  present  heard  these  words,  they  thought  that  he  had  lost 
his  senses.  He  knew  their  thoughts,  and  said :  "No,  I  have  not  lost 
my  senses;  I  know  what  I  am  saying;  and  now,  again,  I  repeat  the 
same  words:  I  leave  my  body  to  the  earth  and  my  soul  to  Satan." 
On  hearing  these  terrible  words  repeated,  they  besought  him  to 
think  of  what  he  was  saying,  and  to  try  to  have  more  Christian  senti- 
ments at  the  moment  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  appearing  before 
God  to  be  judged.  But  the  unfortunate  man  repeated,  for  the  third 
time,  the  same  words,  adding:  "I  do  this  because  during  my  lifetime 
I  have  served  the  world  instead  of  God.  More  still,  I  leave  to  Satan 
the  souls  of  my  wife  and  my  children,  because  for  them  I  heaped 
up  my  ill-gotten  wealth,  that  they  might  have  fine  clothes,  and  the 
means  of  living  an  idle  and  worldly  life."  Very  soon  after  pro- 
nouncing these  awful  words  he  expired  in  despair,  leaving  a  terrible 
example  to  those  who,  for  the  sake  of  worldly  things,  sacrifice  their 
eternal  salvation. 

ENVY 

ENVY 

Envy  cast  angels  into  hell,  and  expelled  man  from  Paradise. 
Envy  moistened  the  earth  the  first  time  with  blood.  Envy  induced 
the  sons  of  Jacob  to  sell  their  brother.  Envy  demanded  the  Blood 
of  Christ  and  accomplished  its  purpose. — St.  Peter  Chrysologus. 

ENVY,  JEALOUSY 

Envy,  or  jealousy,  is  the  daughter  of  pride.  It  consists  in  sadness 
at  another's  prosperity  because  we  conceive  ourselves  to  be  belittled 
thereby.  It  means  that  we  think  so  much  of  ourselves  as  to  consider 
that  %ve,  and  not  another,  ought  to  be  favoured  with  this  or  that  thing 
possessed  by  the  one  whom  we  envy. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

AVARICE,    ENVY,    A3VIBITION 

Passionate,  uncontrolled  avarice  in  the  heart  of  an  Apostle  betrayed 
Christ.  Passionate,  uncontrolled  envy  in  the  hearts  of  the  high 
priests  persecuted  Christ,  and  passionate,  uncontrolled  ambition  and 
fear  in  the  heart  of  the  governor  pronounced  the  sentence  of  death. 

— C.  M.  TliHcnte,  0.  P. 

A  man  that  makcth  haste  to  be  rich,  and  cnvieth  others,  is 
ignorant  that  poverty  sJiall  come  upon  him. — Prcz\  XXVIII.  22. 

The  eye  of  the  covetous  man  is  insatiable  in  his  portion  of  iniquity : 
he  will  not  be  satisfied  till  he  consume  his  own  soul,  drying  it  tip. 

— Ecclus.  XIV,  9. 

The  eye  of  the  envious  is  wicked;  and  he  turneth  azvay  his  face, 
and  despiseth  his  own  soul. — Ecclus.  XIV,  8. 


PRinJi  361 

Even  if  another  is  loved  and  you  are  not,  by  one  very  dear  to 
yourself — a  case  in  which  not  to  envy  is  indeed  most  diflicult — 
remember  that  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  best  love  of  all — 
eternal,  unchangeable,  undying ;  deeper  than  any  human  love ;  and 
drive  out  envy  from  your  soul.  We  can  not  compel  human  love.  The 
love  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  needs  no  compulsion.  It  is  the  fashion 
among  non-Catholics  to  sneer  at  those  who  have  entered  the  religious 
life  on  account  of  some  wounding  of  their  human  ambitions  or 
affections.  But  they  were  truly  wise ;  they  were  truly  undeceived. 
Having  learned,  by  a  sharp  and  bitter  lesson,  the  vanity  of  even  the 
best  of  this  world's  gifts,  they  sought  their  satisfaction  where  alone 
true  joys  are  to  be  found. — H.  G.  Hughes. 


PRIDE 

PBIDE 

Pride  is  the  inordinate  estimation  of  one's  self,  and  the  inordinate 
delight  in  one's  own  gifts  of  nature  or  of  grace.  Inordinate,  I  say, 
that  is,  such  a  self-estimation  and  self-love  as  are  unreasonable — 
out  of  accord  with  the  truth  and  fact  that  all  we  have  is  not  from 
ourselves,  but  from  God  who  gave  it,  and  who  is  the  Author  of  all 
that  is  good  and  admirable  in  all  things  created.  To  delight  reason- 
ably in  the  gifts  of  God  that  we  possess;  to  have  a  due  respect  for 
our  own  dignity  as  children  of  God  by  creation  and  by  grace,  humbly 
acknowledging  that  all  's  from  Him — that  is  not  pride. 

— H.  G.  Hughes. 

Whosoever  shall  exalt  himself,  shall  be  humbled:  and  he  that  shall 
humble  himself,  shall  be  exalted. — Matt.  XXHI,  12. 

God  resisteth  the  proud  and  givcth  grace  to  the   humble. 

— James  IV,  6. 

Every  proud  man  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord:  though  hand 
should  be  joined  to  hand,  he  is  not  innocent. — Prov.  XVI,  5. 

Pride  is  hateful  before  God  and  man:  and  all  iniquity  of  nations  is 
execrable. — Eccltis.  X,  7. 

Nor  from  the  beginning  have  the  proud  been  acceptable  to  Thee: 
but  the  prayer  of  the  humble  and  the  meek  hath  ahvavs  pleased 
Thee.— Judith  IX,  16. 

He  that  dcspiseth  his  neighbour,  siuneth. — Proi'.  XIV,  21. 

He  that  dcspiseth  his  friend,  is  mean  of  heart. — Prov.  XI,  12. 

Pride  is  of  all  vices  that  which  is  at  the  root  of  all  sin ;  Humility, 
of  all  virtues,  is  the  seed-virtue  of  all  soul-progress.  Pride  is  at  the 
bottom  of  all  rebellion,  Humility  is  the  source  of  all  submission. 
Pride  was  the  crime  which  caused  the  fall  of  Lucifer ;  Humility,  the 


362    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  LWSTRUCTIONS 

crowning  disposition  which  saved  Michael  and  his  followers,  and  has 
produced  ever  since  all  those  whose  lives  have  been  worthy  of 
imitation. — P.  Halpin. 

OVERCOHNG  PRIDE 

One  day  the  servant  came  to  St.  Vincent.  "Please,  reverend 
father,"  he  said,  "there  is  a  poor,  ragged  man  from  the  country 
at  the  door  who  wants  to  see  you ;  he  says  he  is  your  nephew."  St. 
Vincent  felt  these  words  most  keenly.  That  a  poor  man  should 
come  and  claim  kindred  with  him,  who  was  so  well  known  throughout 
the  whole  city,  and  even  at  the  court  of  the  king  himself,  was 
disagreeable  to  human  nature.  So  he  said  to  the  servant:  "Go  down 
and  speak  to  him,  and  give  him  whatever  he  needs."  But  immedi- 
ately detecting  the  motive  which  made  him  say  these  words,  and  that 
it  arose  from  pride,  he  overcame  himself  on  the  spot. 

In  an  instant  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  went  down  to  the  street, 
where  his  nephew  was  standing.  As  soon  as  he  saw  him,  he  ran 
towards  him  and  embraced  him  with  the  greatest  joy;  then,  taking 
him  by  the  hand,  he  led  him  into  the  house  and,  ill-dressed  as  he 
was,  introduced  him  to  all  his  household,  and  to  all  the  priests  who 
came  to  call  upon  him. 

PRIDE    HUMBLED   BY   GOD 

Simon  Turiajus  lived  in  England,  at  the  beginning  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  His  great  reputation  for  learning  caused  him  to  be 
chosen  one  of  the  professors  in  the  great  schools  of  Paris,  where 
his  eloquence  procured  for  him  so  great  renown  that  his  name  w-as 
known  throughout  the  West  of  Europe.  But  the  applause  he  received 
caused  the  demon  of  pride  to  find  an  entrance  into  his  heart,  and 
led  him  to  speak  contemptuously  of  the  Church  of  God,  its  doctrine, 
and  its  practices.  One  day  he  dared  publicly  to  assert  that  he  could 
easily  prove  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  to  be  true,  and  just  as  easily 
prove  that  they  were  all  false.  But  God  was  pleased  to  punish  even 
in  this  world  his  audacious  presumption.  His  memory  suddenly 
failed  him,  and  his  intellect  became  so  obscured  that  he  could  not 
distinguish  even  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  one  from  the  other,  or 
repeat  even  the  Lord's  Prayer. 


INTEMPERANCE 

INTEMPERANCE 

Take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  perhaps  your  hearts  be  overcharged 
with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness  and  the  cares  of  this  life;  and  that 
day  come  upon  you  suddenly. — Luke  XXI,  34. 

IVo  to  you  tJ'.at  rise  up  early  in  the  morning  to  folloiv  drunken- 
ness, and  to  drink  till  the  evening,  to  he  inflamed  with  wine. — The 
harp,  and  the  lyre,  and  the  timbrel,  and  the  pipe,  and  zvine  are  in 
your  feasts:  and  the  zvork  of  the  Lord  you  regard  not,  nor  do  you 
consider  the  zvorks  of  His  Hands. — Is.  V,  11-12. 


yARlA  363 

JVinc  drunken  with  excess  raisctJi  quiirrels,  and  zcrath,  and  many 
ruins. — Wine  drunken  with  excess  is  bitterness  of  the  soul. 

—Ecclus.  XXXI,  38-39. 

THE  EVIL,  OF  ALCOHOL 

The  evil  done  by  alcohol  was  fully  realized  by  the  governments 
of  the  belligerent  countries  in  the  great  European  war,  and  they 
prohibited  the  use  of  alcoholic  beverages  in  their  armies. 

IMPRESSIVE   WORDS   TO   A   DRUNKARD 

Take  in  your  hand,  take  in  your  hand  the  cup  of  delusion,  and, 
with  your  eyes  on  the  consequences,  however  appalling — drink  !  The 
white  bubbles  that  float  on  the  top  of  the  cup — they  arc  only  the 
tears  of  your  wife.  Drink  on!  You  have  drained  her  happiness. 
Take  the  gloomy  cup  anew.  The  drops  look  red — they  are  only  the 
blood  of  your  starving  and  neglected  children.  Drink,  then — drink 
on.  Take  the  horrible  cup  anew.  Be  not  dismayed ;  you  see  only 
the  gray  hairs  of  your  parents  floating  on  the  surface — you  have 
drained  their  existence.  Drink,  then,  and  drink  on.  But  you  must 
take  the  cup ;  for,  alas !  it  is  no  longer  the  cup  of  choice,  but  the 
cup  of  habit;  no  longer  the  cup  of  enjoyment,  but  the  cup  of  punish- 
ment; no  longer  the  cup  of  delusion,  but  the  cup  of  necessity.  Its 
pleasures  are  gone,  whilst  nothing  remains  but  its  bitterness. 

— Archbishop  UUathorne. 

VARIA 

SUICIDE 

The  suicide  is  an  unjust  steward  who  makes  away  with  his 
master's  goods;  he  is  a  rebel  against  the  Divine  Majesty;  he  is  a 
cowardly  and  disloyal  soldier  who  abandons  the  post  which  has 
been  entrusted  to  his  care.  While  suicide  is  thus  a  violation  of 
the  Creator's  supreme  dominion  over  His  creature,  it  is  also  an 
act  of  the  deepest  injustice  against  one's  own  self.  We  are  bound 
to  love  ourselves  with  a  reasonable  love.  This  love  of  self  is  pre- 
supposed in  the  commandment  of  charity  which  ordains  us  to  love 
our  neighbours  as  we  love  ourselves.  Now  as  murder  is  the  greatest 
injustice  we  can  perpetrate  against  our  neighbour,  so  suicide  is  the 
greatest  injustice  we  can  inflict  on  ourselves.  All  crimes  against 
nature  are  particularly  hideous;  this  one  outrages  the  fundamental 
law  of  nature,  which  prompts  us  to  preserve  our  own  corporal  life. 

— Bishop  Bellord. 

SUPERSTITION 

Superstition  arises  from  attributing  to  the  Saints  a  power  that 
they  do  not  possess,  either  by  nature  or  in  virtue  of  the  prayers 
of  the  Church.  With  this  definition  kept  clearly  and  substantially 
before  our  minds,  we  can  see  how,  unless  they  realize  constantly  the 
prerogatives  of  God  and  the  supernatural  character  of  religion,  some 
of  the  faithful  may  fall  into  superstitious  practices. 

— Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

Superstition  arises  from  attributing  to  the  Saints  a  power  that 
is  the  possession  of  God  alone  and  from  the  expectation  that  they 


364    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

personally  will  grant  favours  and  answers  to  petitions  which  it  is 
within  the  power  of  Divinity  alone  to  bestow.  Many  spurious 
prayers  are  circulated  in  which  the  language  is  such  that  it  can  be 
considered  only  as  fostering  superstition.  When  we  are  told,  for 
example,  that  the  recital  of  such  a  prayer,  or  its  recital  at  fi.xed 
times,  or  a  special  number  of  times  or  days,  will  infallibly  obtain 
from  the  Saint  to  whom  it  is  addressed  the  favour  asked;  when  it  is 
believed  that  the  swallowing  of  papers  containing  the  pictures  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  or  another  of  the  Saints  will  infallibly  work  a 
cure  of  disease;  when  we  are  informed  that  certain  extravagant  and 
impossible  promises  will  be  infallibly  fulfilled  through  prayers  to  the 
Saints,  we  are,  beyond  doubt,  in  the  region  of  superstition,  for  these 
things  are  nothing  but  the  giving  to  creatures  that  which  is  the 
prerogative  of  God  alone. — Thomas  F.  Burke,  C.  S.  P. 

THE  LURE   OF   THE  WORLD 

How  many  a  young  man,  fascinated  by  the  pleasure-seeking  life 
about  him,  is  lured  to  spiritual  and  to  social  destruction !  He  begins 
by  spending  more  than  he  can  afford  upon  dress,  theater-going,  food 
and  drink,  and  the  myriad  indulgences  that  entice  en  every  side.  To 
pay  for  these  luxuries  he  must  retrench  expenditures  that  duty  de- 
mands of  him.  His  contribution  to  the  support  of  home  is  minimized 
indefinitely,  those  who  should  be  nearest  and  dearest  to  him  may  be 
in  want  of  many  little  comforts,  even  of  certain  necessities,  which 
ordinarily  it  would  be  in  his  power  and  should  be  his  pleasure  to 
supply;  but  the  spirit  of  extravagance  has  transformed  his  generosity 
into  selfishness  and  his  sense  of  duty  into  an  irritation  at  all  restraint. 

— Francis   Harvey. 

TUBNEVG   AWAY  FROM   THE    LIGHT 

For  I  had  my  back  turned  to  the  light,  and  my  face  upon  the  things 
enlightened,  and  so  my  face,  with  which  I  saw  the  things  that  were 
illustrated  by  the  light,  was  not  illuminated. — St.  Augustine. 

LOVE   OF  WORLDLY   THINGS 

I  was  miserable  and  every  soul  is  miserable  that  is  tied  down  by 
love  to  perishable  things,  and  it  is  torn  in  pieces  when  it  is  separated 
from  them,  and  then  it  feels  that  misery,  by  which  it  was  also 
miserable  before   it   lost  them. — St.  Augustine. 

THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

In  Genoa,  Italy,  one  of  the  first  objects  which  attracts  the  traveler's 
attention  as  he  leaves  his  ship  is  a  beautiful  statue  of  Columbus. 
This  monument  was  placed  there  nearly  four  hundred  years  after 
Columbus  discovered  America.  In  his  life  he  was  scoffed  at,  abused, 
and  neglected,  and  his  great  merit  not  recognized  until  too  late  for 
him  to  enjoy  it. 

INORDINATE    WORLDLY   LOVE 

How  little  soever  it  be,  if  a  thing  be  inordinately  loved  and 
regarded,  it  keeps  thee  back  from  the  Sovereign  Good,  and  corrupts 
the  soul. — Thomas  a  Kcmpis. 


VARIA  366 

THE   MAD   RUSH   OF   THE   WORLD 

On  one  occasion  Professor  Huxley  was  late  in  keeping  an 
appointment  in  Belfast.  Leavinj;^  the  train,  he  hastily  took  a  cab 
and  shouted  to  the  cabman,  "Drive  fast !"  and  away  the  cab  went, 
down  the  street,  around  corners,  etc.,  till  the  question  arose  in 
Professor  Huxley's  mind  whether  he  had  told  the  driver  where  to 
go,  so  he  shouted  to  him:  "Do  you  know  where  you  are  going?" 
Whereupon  the  driver  replied:  "No,  sir;  I  don't  know  where  I  am 
going,  but  I  am  driving  fast."  Some  who  make  a  boast  of  seeking 
the  truth — the  so-called  progressive  minds — remind  one  sometimes 
of  this  incident.  They  are  "driving  fast"  without  knowing  where 
they  are  going. 

VoH  have  provoked  Him  xvlio  made  you.  the  eternal  God,  offering 
sacrifice  to  devils  and  not  to  God. — For  you  have  forgotten  God  who 
brought  you  up,  and  you  have  grieved  Jerusalem  zcho  nursed  you. 

—Bar.  IV,  7-8. 

The  ivicked  have  said,  reasoning  with  themselves,  but  not  right: 
The  time  of  our  life  is  short  and  tedious. — Let  us  Ml  ourselves  with 
costly  zuine  and  ointments:  and  let  not  the  flozver  of  the  time  pass 
by  us. — IVisd.  II,  7. 

Be  not  thou  afraid,  zvhen  a  man  shall  be  made  rich,  and  zvhen  the 
glory  of  his  house  shall  be  increased. — For  when  he  shall  die  he  shall 
take  nothing  away;  nor  shall  his  glory  descend  with  him. — He  shall 
go  into  the  generations  of  his  fathers:  and  lie  shall  ncz'er  see  light. 
— Man  zvhen  he  was  in  honour  did  not  understand:  he  hath  been 
compared   to    senseless   beasts,    and   made   like    to    them. 

—Ps.  XLVIII.  17-18,  20-21. 

THE  HAPPINESS  OF  THIS  WORLD 

Goethe,  the  famous  poet,  had  wealth,  health,  and  the  admiration 
of  the  world,  in  short,  all  things  that  the  world  values  so  highly, 
yet  he  was  accustomed  to  say  in  his  old  age  that  never  was  he 
in  his  long  life  truly  happy  for  even  twenty-four  consecutive  hours. 

THE   VANITY   OF  WORLDLY  THINGS 

From  the  caverncd  rocks  of  St.  Helena,  the  great  Napoleon,  then 
an  exile,  was  gazing  over  the  troubled  deep.  Sea,  earth  and  sky 
alike  claimed  his  attention  as  he  reviewed  in  his  mind  the  empires 
of  the  world,  at  one  time  boasting  of  an  enviable  place  among  the 
nations,  but  soon  crumbling  to  the  dust  from  whence  they  came. 
Then,  having  considered  the  fate  of  great  men,  how  to-day  they 
are  the  idols  of  the  hour,  and  to-morrow  they  are  no  more,  he 
suddenly  exclaimed :  "The  nations  of  the  earth  pass  away,  the 
thrones  of  world-wide  kingdoms  fall  to  the  ground,  and  the  Church 
of  God  alone  remains." — Frederick  Reuter. 

FASHION 

But  woe  be  to  thee,  O  torrent  of  human  custom !  Who  shall 
stop  thy  course?  How  long  will  it  be  ere  thou  art  dried  up?  How 
long  wilt  thou  carry  down  the  children  of  Eve  into  that  great  and 


3fi6    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

frightful  sea  which  those  who  are  the  best  embarked  shall  hardly 
pass  over? — St.  Augustine. 

EXTRAVAGANCE   IN   DRESS 

Extravagance  in  dress  is  often  not  even  regarded  as  a  venial 
offense  in  morals.  It  masquerades  under  the  name  of  "a  proper 
pride,"  "decent  regard  for  appearances,"  "self-respect,"  or  any  of 
the  well-sounding  phrases  with  which  we  cover  our  follies  and  our 
sins.  How  many  bitter  heart-burnings  are  caused  by  the  extrava- 
gant girl  ?  How  her  selfish  indulgence  grows  by  what  it  feeds  upon, 
and  ill-temper  gains  more  and  more  possession  of  her  character. 
Happy  is  she  if  her  moral  sense  does  not  become  blunted,  and  she 
wakes  to  find  that  her  extravagance  and  love  of  display  have  not 
yet  led  her  into  the  path  of  sordid  worldliness,  whence  there  is  little 
hope  of  returning. — Francis  Harvey. 

EXTRAVAGANCE  LEADS  TO  DISHONESTY 

This  mad  thirst  for  enjoyment  it  is  that  leads  so  many  of  our 
young  people  into  extravagance  and  its  attendant  evils.  We  will 
confine  ourselves  to  the  consideration  of  one  of  the  sad  rejults  of 
this  pleasure-loving  spirit  of  our  day,  the  violation  of  the  Seventh 
Commandment,  "Thou  shalt  not  steal";  a  commandment  which 
comes  to  us  now  partly  drowned  by  sounds  of  revelry,  the  cries  of 
a  degenerate  commercialism  and  the  platitudes  of  the  worldly  wise. 
But  the  commandment  was  first  given  amid  the  thunders  of  Sinai, 
and  in  the  ear  of  God  and  of  God's  Church  those  thunders  are  still 
echoing,  and,  as  of  old,  sound  a  warning  anathema  to  the  sinner. 
Heaven  and  earth  may  pass'  away,  may  change  from  age  to  age  in 
their  passing,  but  not  one  syllable  of  God's  law  shall  pass,  not  one 
jot  of  His  penalties  shall  fail. 

The  first  step  in  this  downward  path  is  extravagance — very  venial 
in  appearance,  like  all  first  wrongward  steps — but  condemned  by 
the  sure  instinct  that  is  in  every  uncorrupted  heart.  Extravagance 
prepares  the  way  for  thievery,  just  as  surely  as  immodest  words 
and  words  of  double  meaning  are  the  forerunners  of  debauchery.  It 
begets  the  feverish  longing  for  money,  which  is  the  spirit  of 
gambling,  and  gambling  is  in  reality  an  ambition  to  get  something 
for  nothing,  and  finds  its  ultimate,  legitimate  expression  in  common 
theft. — Francis  Harvey. 

WORDLINESS 

Most  men  with  little  heed  as  to  whence  they  have  come,  or  to 
whither  they  are  going,  place  all  their  thoughts  and  all  their  care 
upon  the  vain  and  fleeting  goods  of  this  life;  and  contrary  to  nature 
and  to  right  order,  they  voluntarily  give  themselves  up  to  serve 
things,  of  which  their  reason  tells  them  they  should  be  masters. 

—Pope  Leo  XIII. 

THE  SIN  OF  THE  RICH  MAN 

In  one  of  the  parables  Our  Lord  places  before  us  a  typical  man 
of  pleasure,  one  who  would  be  esteemed  by  many  men  at  all  times 
as  a  model  of  what  a  man  should  he,  honourable  and  enviable.     He 


VARIA  367 

was  a  man  of  wealth  and  refinement,  a  man  against  whom  no  vice 
or  injustice  is  recorded,  who  spent  his  money  freely,  enjoying  to 
the  utmost  the  gifts  of  God,  and  sharing  them  genially  with  his 
compeers.  He  led  a  blameless,  joyful  life.  He  died,  regretted,  no 
doubt,  by  many,  and  leaving  a  good  name  behind  him.  But  his  soul? 
"The  rich  man  died  and  was  buried  in  hell."  And  the  reason  of 
his  condemnation  is  given.  It  was  not  that  he  had  abandoned  him- 
self to  gross  vices  or  to  irreligion;  it  was  only  that  he  had  practiced 
no  self-denial,  no  austerity,  but  had  enjoyed  the  gifts  of  God  in  an 
ungodly  way.  "Remember  that  thou  didst  receive  good  things  in  thy 
lifetime,  and  likewise  Lazarus  evil  things;  but  now  he  is  comforted 
and  thou  art  tormented"  (Luke  xvi,  25). — Bishop  Bellord. 

TWO  KINDS  OF  WORLDLINGS 

What  is  a  worldling?  One  who  practically  ignores  the  existence 
of  God,  who  is  addicted  to  false  pleasures,  and  the  profane  joys 
and  criminal  intrigues  which  the  world  sanctions,  but  which  God 
condemns;  one  who  is  unmortified,  who  does  not  know  what  it 
is  to  check  passion;  one  who  hates  Christ  in  his  soul  because  the 
life  of  Christ  rebukes  him.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the  portrait. 
Every  day  we  meet  it  at  the  railway  station,  at  the  hotel,  at  the 
theater,  the  hero  of  a  fashionable  novel,  the  central  figure  in  the 
police  court,  or,  oftener  still,  the  "respectable  man  in  society." 

But  there  is  another  worldling.  One  who  calls  himself  a  Christian, 
but  is  only  a  Christian  through  fear  of  God;  who  commits  no  grave 
sins,  but  goes  as  far  in  venial  sins  as  he  possibly  can ;  who  likes  the 
world  and  half  wishes  that  there  were  no  Heaven  but  the  world ;  who 
is  often  seen  in  places  of  public  amusement,  very  seldom  in  the  house 
of  God ;  who  is  often  seen  in  the  public  streets  ministering  to  his  own 
vanity,  but  is  never  seen  in  lanes  ministering  to  the  poor  of  Christ; 
who  thinks  that  religion,  that  is,  much  prayer  and  frequent  reception 
of  the  Sacraments  is  a  very  good  thing  for  children,  but  is  scarcely 
fitted  for  men ;  who  does  not  know  how  God  can  be  pleased  by 
fasting;  who  goes  to  confession  but  falls  again  into  the  same  sins; 
who  is  fond  of  jesting  about  the  holiest  things;  who  is  a  constant 
reader  of  the  corruption  of  the  day ;  who  would  think  it  a  very  hard 
penance  to  be  asked  to  read  a  page  of  the  "Lives  of  the  Saints" 
or  "The  Imitation  of  Christ",  that  is  another  portrait,  and  with 
that,  too,  we  are  still  more  painfully  familiar.  It  looks  very  like 
that  strangest  of  all  creations,  a  Catholic  worldling.  A  Catholic 
worldling,  one  who  declares  himself  a  follower  of  Christ,  and  yet 
is    a    follower    of    the    world    which    Christ    abhorred. 

— P.  A.  Shechan. 

POSSESSING   RICHES,  BUT  POOR  IN   SPIRIT 

There  is  a  material  difference  between  having  poison  and  being 
poisoned.  Apothecaries  have  almost  all  kinds  of  poisons  for  use  on 
several  occasions,  and  yet  are  not  poisoned,  because  they  have  not 
the  poison  in  their  bodies,  but  in  their  store.  So  you  may  possess 
riches  without  being  poisoned  with  them,  if  you  keep  them  in  your 
house  or  purse,  and  not  in  your  heart.  To  be  rich  in  effect  and 
poor  in  affection  is  the  great  happiness  of  a  Christian ;  for  by  this 


368    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

means  he  has  the  benefit  of  riches  for  this  world,  and  the  merit  of 
poverty  for  the  world  to  come. — St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

BAD    CHRISTIAJS'S    DESERVE    GREATER    CONDEMNATION  THAN  PAGANS 

As  Macarius  was  wandering  among  the  Egyptian  tombs  he  saw 
the  skull  of  a  mummy,  and  turning  it  over  he  asked  it  to  whom  it 
belonged.  It  answered,  "To  a  pagan" ;  he  then  replied  "Where  is 
thy  soul?"  and  the  skull  replied  "In  hell."  Macarius  then  said, 
"How  deep?"  "The  depth  is  greater  than  the  distance  from  heaven 
to  earth,"  answered  the  skull.  Then  Macarius  asked,  "Are  there  any 
deeper  than  thou  art?"  and  the  skull  replied,  "Yes,  the  Jews  are 
deeper."  And  again  the  hermit  said,  "Are  there  any  deeper  than  the 
Jews?"  "Yes,  in  sooth,"  replied  the  skull,  "the  Christians  whom 
Jesus  Christ  hath  redeemed,  and  who  show  in  their  actions  that  they 
despise  His  doctrine,  are  deeper  still." 

This  ancient  legend  forcibly  teaches  a  great  lesson:  The  measure 
of  responsibility  depends  upon  our  light. 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  NORBERT 

St.  Norbert,  when  already  raised  to  the  office  of  sub-deacon, 
lived  a  life  of  unrestrained  pleasure.  He  even  refused  higher  orders 
in  the  Church,  for  fear  his  enjoyments  would  be  curtailed.  One 
day,  bent  on  pleasure  as  usual,  he  started  on  horseback  to  a  neighbour- 
ing town.  Overtaken  by  a  terrible  thunderstorm  he  could  find  no 
refuge  anywhere,  so  he  was  obliged  to  ride  on.  Suddenly  a  flash  of 
lightning  knocked  him  senseless  to  the  ground.  After  a  long  interval 
he  regained  consciousness,  only  to  remember  the  purpose  of  his 
journey,  and  to  feel  that  his  sad  plight  was  a  punishment  from 
Almighty  God.  With  these  thoughts  in  his  mind,  he  cried  out  in  the 
words  of  St.  Paul:  "Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  To 
which  a  voice  replied:  "Turn  away  from  evil  and  do  good;  seek 
after  peace  and  pursue  it." 

This  was  the  turning-point  of  Norbert's  life.  Forsaking  all 
pleasures,  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  practice  of  self-denial.  He 
became  the  founder  of  a  strict  religious  Order  and  died  a  Saint. 

— Frederick  Renter. 

HUMAN  RESPECT 

It  is  the  inordinate  desire  of  pleasing  men,  or  a  fear  of  displeasing 
them,  whereby  we  are  led  either  to  omit  the  good  we  ought  to  do,  or 
to  do  the  evil  which  we  ought  to  avoid.  In  other  words,  human 
respect  is  that  frame  of  mind  which  leads  us  to  neglect  our  duty  as 
Christians  and  Catholics  for  the  sake  of  what  others  will  say  or 
think  or  do. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

Human  respect  is  a  potent  factor  especially  with  young  men. 
There  are  so  many  who  have  generous  impulses,  and  eager  desires 
to  serve  God  faithfully,  but  these  so  quickly  perish  at  the  loud, 
scornful  laugh  or  ribald  jest  of  a  bad  companion.  "So  you  have 
turned  Methodist,"  one  says  with  a  sneer,  and  the  good  resolutions 
so  eagerly  taken  wither  away  at  once.  With  others  it  is  merely 
the  trouble  of  perseverance  which  is  sufficient  to  cause  discourage- 
ment and  failure.    It  is  so  much  easier  to  go  with  the  tide;  it  demands 


VARIA  869 

some  courage  to  discountenance  the  lewd  jest  or  abstain  from  the 
forbidden  enjoyment,  but  even  to  get  up  on  a  Sunday  morning  to 
assist  at  Holy  Mass,  or  to  go  without  meat  on  a  Friday,  is  too  much 
effort  for  some  of  these  once  eager  nco])hytes.  Confession  is  not  a 
congenial  task  to  the  natural  man,  and  when  tlie  first  fervour  of 
conversion  has  grown  cold,  it  needs  some  courage  and  constancy  to 
persevere  faithfully  in  its  habitual  use.  And  so  these  poor  souls 
fall  away  from  tlie  means  of  grace  by  which  alone  their  feeble 
spiritual  life  could  be  strengthened  and  fostered,  and,  left  without 
these  supernatural  and  refreshing  showers,  the  good  seed  is  withered 
in  their  hearts. — Bcdc  Camm,  0.  S.  B. 

He  that  shall  be  ashamed  of  Me  and  of  My  words,  of  him  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  be  ashamed,  luhcn  He  shall  come  in  His  Majesty, 
and  that  of  His  Father  and  of  the  holy  angels. — Luke  IX,  26. 

If  thou  considerest  well  what  thou  art  within  thyself,  thou  wilt 
not  care  what  men  say  of  thee.  Man  beholds  the  face ;  but  God  looks 
upon  the  heart.  Man  considers  the  actions ;  but  God  weighs  the 
intentions. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Thou  art  not  more  holy  if  thou  art  praised;  nor  anything  the 
worse  if  thou  art  dispraised. — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

When  Toussaint,  a  great  infidel,  who  wrote  many  bad  books  and 
boasted  of  his  atheism,  was  on  his  death-bed  he  called  for  a  priest, 
made  his  confession  and,  before  receiving  the  last  Sacraments, 
declared  before  his  fellow-infidels  present  that  he  was  sorry  for 
having  posed  as  an  atheist,  that  he  had  professed  atheism  because  it 
was  fashionable  for  those  calling  themselves  philosophers  to  proclaim 
themselves  by  a  show  of  atheism  as  above  other  men. 

— Fcrreol  Girardey,  C.  SS.  R, 

Gondebrand,  King  of  the  Burgundians,  was  an  Arian,  and  refused 
to  believe  the  teaching  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Some  years  after 
he  began  to  reign  he  saw  that  he  was  wrong,  and,  as  he  desired 
to  save  his  soul,  he  took  the  resolution  of  becoming  a  Catholic.  But 
he  was  afraid  to  do  this  openly,  being  afraid,  as  he  said,  that  his 
people  might  turn  against  him,  and  so  he  went  to  Avitus,  the  Bishop, 
and  asked  him  to  receive  him  privately  into  the  Catholic  Church. 
But  Avitus  gave  him  this  answer.  "Our  Lord  has  declared  that 
unless  we  confess  Him  before  men,  He  will  deny  us  before  His 
Father  in  Heaven.  You  must  therefore,  O  King,  rise  above  all 
worldly  consideration,  and  not  lose  an  eternal  kingdom  for  the 
sake  of  an  earthly  one."  The  king  did  not  answer;  but  his  courage 
failed  him,  and  he  lived  and  died  an  Arian. 

How  can  we  avoid  the  serious  fault  of  human  respect? 

In  the  first  place  we  must,  from  the  very  beginning,  take  up  the 
right  position;  and  with  a  calm  firmness  let  it  be  seen  by  all  that  we 
are  not  to  be  moved  from  it  by  any  v/orldly  and  unworthy  con- 
siderations  whatever.        We   should    take   this   resolution   especially 


370    ILLUSTRATIONS  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

when  the  circumstances  of  life  lead  us  to  take  up  our  abode  among 
strangers.  They  will  watch  us ;  and  the  first  few  weeks  will  show 
them,  and  probably  decide  for  us,  whether  we  are  going  to  be  on 
the  side  of  God  or  of  the  world.  When  you,  my  younger  hearers, 
go  forth  into  life,  then,  I  entreat  of  you,  guard  against  human 
respect.  Remember  the  holy  lessons  of  your  youth ;  take  your  stand 
boldly  from  the  first  among  the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  How 
many  a  young  man's  life  has  been  wrecked  because  he  was  not 
firm  at  starting.  A  change  of  scene,  even  if  only  temporary,  is 
often  a  source  of  danger.  New  temptations  will  be  at  hand  in  a 
new  place.  New  acquaintances  will  be  there  to  lead  a  man  astray. 
This,  too,  is  an  occasion  for  a  determined  resolution,  from  the  very 
first,  not  to  give  way  to  human  respect.  When,  again,  the  voice  of 
conscience  has  made  itself  heard,  after  a  retreat,  for  instance,  or  a 
mission,  or  some  warning  from  God,  and  we  feel  that  we  must 
change  our  lives,  human  respect  will  not  fail  to  drag  us  back  if  we 
will  allow  it  to  do  so.  What  will  people  say,  if  they  see  me  giving 
up  this  or  that  pleasure;  if  they  observe  me  frequenting  the  Sacra- 
ments oftener ;  if  my  attitude  in  church  becomes  more  devout,  and 
I  am  seen  to  pray?  Care  not,  dear  brother,  what  they  say.  In  a 
week  or  two  they  will  cease  to  say  anything,  and  if  you  persist,  they 
will  respect  you  in  their  heart  of  hearts.  To  avoid  the  dangers, 
then,  of  human  respect,  take  a  firm  stand  at  the  beginning. 

Secondly,  we  must  be  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  faith — practical 
faith ;  the  faith  of  one  who  is  convinced  of  the  great  truths  of  our 
holy  religion;  who  has,  by  serious  thought,  made  them  sink  deep 
into  his  heart,  and  whose  will  is  influenced  and  strengthened  by  the 
thought  of  God  and  eternity,  the  value  of  his  soul,  the  great  reward 
and  the  terrible  punishment. 

Thirdly,  we  must  watch  for  this  enemy.  It  may  easily  find  an 
entrance  unperceived.  We  must  check  it  in  regard  to  small  things, 
or  it  will  soon  influence  us  in  a  greater.  Hence  there  is  an  urgent 
need  for  careful  self-examination  on  this  matter. 

Lastly,  we  must  regularly  and  devoutly  make  use  of  all  the 
means  of  grace,  in  which  we  shall  find  strength.  In  the  strength 
of  these  same  means,  the  glorious  martyrs  went  with  all  courage 
to  a  bitter  and  painful  death ;  and  in  this  strength  we  shall  over- 
come all  forms  of  persecution  and  temptation,  and,  God  helping  us, 
shall  make  the  martyr's  choice,  and  hold  ourselves  ready  on  all 
occasions  to  confess  Him  before  men,  who  one  day  shall  confess  us 
before  the  face  of  our  Father  in  Heaven. — H.  G.  Hughes. 

What  doth  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose 
his  own  soul? — Matt.  XVI,  26. 


Alphabetical   Index 


Adam,   his   fall,  22 

Admonishing  an  erring  brother,  258 

Adultery,   342 

Advent,   252 

Adversity,    282   seqq. 

Afflictions,  282  seqq. 

Afflictions  and  the   Providence  of  God,  8 

Ages,  the  dark,   136,   142 

Ages,   the   middle,   136,   142,   145,  167 

Alcohol,  311,  362  seqq. 

Alms,  307  seqq. 

Altar,    the,    252 

Angels,  the,  58  seqq. 

Angels,  Guardian  Angels,  61  seqq. 

Angels,  know  what  happens  on   earth,  38 

Angels,   the  fallen  Angels,  21,  60,  62,  327 

Anger,  344  seqq. 

Anger,   lawful   and   unlawful,   344  seqq. 

Anglican   Church,   153,  227 

Apostles,    confirmed   in    the    faith   by    the 

Resurrection,    25 
Apostles,  their  obstacles,  112 
Apostles,  their  pusillanimity,  27,  29 
Atheism,  its   narrowness,   138 
Authority,  necessity  of,  130,  143 
Authority,   civil,   159 
Authority    of    parents,    237 
Aversion  and  the  Love  of  the  Neighbour, 

258 

Backbiter,  the,  354 

Banns,  the,  233 

Baptism,  188  seqq. 

Baptism,    by    desire,    189 

Baptism,  non-Baptism  accounted  as  Bap- 
tism, 189 

Baptism,  the  crime  of  withholding  it  from 
children,   190 

Baptism,  the,  of  John,  189 

Baptism,  Sponsors,  189  seqq. 

Bible,  interpretation  of  the,  120  seqq. 

Bible,  its  reading  not  necessary  for  salva- 
tion,  118 

Bible,   not   our   only  guide,   118  seqq. 

Bible,   the   Church   its   guardian,  120 

Bible  and  private  judgment,  121 

Bible  and  science,  136 

Blasphemy,  347 

Blessed  Virgin,  the   (see  Virgin) 

Books  and   Reading,   178,   299  seqq. 

Books,   forbidden,  301   seqq. 

Books,  irreligious  and  immoral,  178,  301 

Calumny,  353  seqq. 

Calvary,  the  Sacrifice  of,  and  the  Sacri- 
fice of  the   Mass,  205 

Capital  and  Labour,  160  seqq.,  358 

Celibacy ,_  228 

Ceremonies,  248  seqq. 

Ceremonies,    fallacies  concerning,   251 

Ceremonies,  ordained  by  God,  250 

Charitable,  the,   need  not   fear  death,  259 

Charitable  institutions  unknown  among 
pagans,  260 

Chanty,   256  seqq. 

Charity,  among  Christians,  264 


Charity  and  patience,  258 

Charity  and  wilful  aversion,  2S8 

Charity,   blots  out   sins,   257 

Charity,  essential  257,  263  seqq. 

Charity,  the  duties  of,  259 

Charity,  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  2S6 

Charity,   the,  of  the  Church,   132 

Charity,  the  qualities  of,  25'> 

Charity,  towards  all,  261 

Charity,  towards  non-Catholics,  1S6,  261 

Chastity,    272  seqq. 

Chastity   and   Charity,   273 

Chastity  and   fasting^  272 

Chastity  and  Holy  Communion  202 

Cheating,  358 

Children,  237  seqq. 

Children,  the  crime  of  killing  oflFspring. 
190,    341  f      s. 

Children,  their  debt  to  parents,  244 

Children,    training    of,    239    seqq. 

Christian,  his  duty  to  seek  instruction. 
178 

Christian,  the  bad,  368 

Christianity,    105.   112  scgq.,   170 

Christianity,  accomplishing  ancient  proph- 
ecy only  in  the  Catholic  Church,  lOa 

Christianity   and    the   Jewish    system,    105 

Christianity,   apparently  defeated,   112 

Christianity,  the  evidence  of,  113 

Christianity,  incompleteness  of  its  evi- 
dence,   114 

Christianity,  primitive,  identical  with  the 
Catholic   Church,   113 

Christianity,  outside  the  Catholic  Church, 
105 

Chrislianity,  obstacles  to,  112 

Christianity,  why  men  reject,  114 

Church,  the,  124  seqq.  (see  also  Faith, 
Religion,    etc.) 

Church,  a  society,  127 

Church,  adaptability  of  the,  128 

Church  and  art,   142 

Church    and   civilization,    112,   139  seqq. 

Church  and  contentment,  166 

Church  and  education,  242 

Church  and  human  opinion,  138 

Church   and    poetry,   142 

Church   and  progress,   139  seqq. 

Church   and   revelation,    130 

Church  and  science,  135  seqq. 

Church    and    sinners,    133 

Church  and  social  conditions^  159  seqq. 

Church   and   social   service,  2j9 

Church  and   the  Real   Presence,   191 

Church  and  the  salvation  of  those  out- 
side  the   Church,   78,   103   seqq. 

Church  and  State,  159 

Church,  the  Catholic,  a  historical  institu- 
tion.   126 

Churcn,  comprising  both  good  and  bad, 
133 

Church,  Divinely  appointed  for  saving  the 
souls   of    men,    132 

Church,    empowered    to    make    laws,    131 

Church,  entitled  to  our  support,   134 

Church,   her   authority,   135  seqq. 


371 


372 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


Church,  her  bad  members  rather  than  the 
good   attracting  attention,    157 

Church,    her    Divinity,   128 

Church,  her  doctrine  opposed  to  the  teach- 
ings   of    the    world,    112,    127 

Church,    her   infallibility,    117,    128   seqq. 

Church,  her  persecution  the  means  ot  her 
growth,   4 

Church,   her   tolerance,   153  seqq. 

Church,     identical     with    primitive    Chris- 
tianity,   113 

Church,  infallibility  required  for  certainty 
of   truth,    117 

Church,  like  Christ,  not  catering  to  popu- 
lar favour,  30 

Church,    names   of   the,   126 

Church,  never  discouraged,  12S 

Church,   opposed   to   experiments,    171 

Chjrch,   opposing  socialism,    170  seqq. 

Church,   our   duties  to   the,   134 

Church,   persecution   of  the,   104 

Church,   slandered,   158 

Church,  spiritual  wealth  of  the,   134 

Church,   submission    to   the,   130   seqq. 

Church,   the   appointed   teacher,    124  seqq. 

Church,   the   charity   of   the,   132 

Church,  the  Church  of  the  poor,  166 

Church,   the   commandments   of   the,   131 

Church,   the   greatest   force  for  order  and 
civilization,   141 

Church,   the  guardian  of  the  Bible,  120 

Church,    the   obstacles   in   its   early   days, 
112 

Church,  the  voice  of  God,  124 
Cii:izenship   and    religious   training,    242 
Civilization    and    th;    Church,    139   seqq. 
Civilization  and  the  Papacy,  145  seqq. 
Civilization,   its   failure,   140 
Civilization,   its   instability,   141 
Civilization,  of  former  ages,  141 
Commandments,   the.    140,   149  seqq.,  257 
Commandments,   their   necessity,    140 
Commandments,   an   obstacle  to   many,   150 
Commandments,    the   ten,    149   seqq. 
Commandments,  the,  of  the  Church,  131 
Communion,    Holy,    196   seqq. 
Communion,   Easter.   203 
Communion,  First  Holy,  199 
Communion,  frequent,  197  seqq.,  201  seqq. 
Communion   and   Purgatory,   197 
Communion   and   purity,   202 
Communion    and    sacrifice,   204 
Communion  and   temptations,  202 
Communion,    preparation    for,    199 
Communion,  Holy,   strength  given  in,  198 
Communion,   the   various  wavs  of  receiv- 
ing, 2ro 
Communion,  under  both  kinds,  200 
Communion,    Spiritual,  203 
Communistic    experiments   in    the    United 

States,    171 
Company  keeping,   236 
Concupiscence,   295,   342 
Confession,   214   seqq.,   369 
Confession,  as  viewed  by  Protestants,  216, 

217  seqq.,  223  seqq. 
Confession,    shame    in,   214 
Confession,    excuses    in,    214 
Confession,  qualities  of  a  good.  215,  218 
Confession,    restoring   peace,    216 
Confession,   sincere,  a   sign  of  contrition, 

215 
Confession,  a  Saint's  preparation  for,  211 
Confession,  the  seal  of,  214 
Confessor,  the  choice  of  a,  216 
Confidence   in   God,  278,   322 
Confidence,    lack    of,   277   seqq. 
Confirmation,  191 


Conscience   and    the    commandments,    ISO 

seqq. 
Conscience,   its  voice,   151 
Conscience,  not  infallible,  150 
Consolation,    true,    only    in    religicn,    166, 

2S8 
Contempt,    361 
Contrition,  208,  218  seqq. 
Contrition   and   the   intention    to   confess, 

221 
Contrition,    blots    out    sins,    219    seqq. 
Contrition,  insincere,  220 
Contrition,  must  include  good  resolutions, 

220 
Conversing  with  God,  187,  292 
Conversion,   death  bed,   reiving  on  a,  212, 

319,    338 
Co-operation   with   God,   289  seqq. 
Creation  and  evolution,   137 
Creation,  the  harmony  in,  67,  104  seqq. 
Cremation,    78 
Cross,   its  meaning  in  the   Roman   world, 

24 
Cross,  the  lesson  of  the,  322 
Cross,  of  sacrifice  in   our   lives,  2S3  seqq. 
Cross,  the   Sign    of  the,   247 
Cross,   the  treasure  in  the,  288 
Cross,    the   wisdom    of   the,   321 
Cross,  the  wood  of  the,  254 
Cross,  we  must  bear  our  cross  as  Christ 

bore   it,   27 
Cursing,    346 

Dincing,  340 

Darwin,  his  theory  of  evolution,  138 

Dead,  fiction   and   fact  about   the,   77 

Dead,  our   duties  to   the,   77,   90 

Dead,  prayers  for  the,  86 

Dead,   soon    forgotten,   65,    76 

Death,   64,   66,    72  seqq. 

Death  bed  conversion,  relying  on  a,  212, 
319,    338 

Death,  ends  our  opportunity  to  work  our 
salvation,  76 

Death,  every  day  we  die,  72 

Death,  need  not  be  feared  by  the  chari- 
table, 259 

Death,  our  eternal  fate  decided  long  be- 
fore,   79 

Death,   preparation   for,   74 

Death,  robbed  of  its  terror,  75 

Death,  the  most  important  act  of  our 
lives,   72 

Death,  the,  of  a  miser,  359 

Death,  the,  of  a  usurer,  3.'i9 

Death,    the    thought    of,    84 

Death,  the  uncertainty  of,  74 

Death,  the  vanity  of  worldly  things  at 
the  moment  of,   74  seqq. 

Debts,   dishonest,   359 

Dependence,  our  mutual,  upon  one  an- 
other, 263 

Despair,  212  seqq.,  279,  339,  360 

Despair,   of  our  age,  279 

Despair,    saved    from,    213 

Detraction,   351   seqn. 

Detraction,   cannot  be  repaired,  353 

Detractors,   352 

Detractors,   their   excuse,  352 

Detractors,   listening  to,  353 

Devil,   the,   62,   295 

Devil,  the,  our  accuser  before  God,  216, 
331 

Discipline,    Self,    217 

Discontent,  the,  of  our  age,  279 

Discouragement,   277 

Dishonesty,   3-58   seqq. 

Dishonesty,  religious,  350 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


373 


Dissensions,  264  ieqq. 

Distraction,    167     206 

Distraction,  at  Holy   Mass,  206 

Divorce,  2JS 

Dress,  extravagance  in,  366 

Duties,    moderation    in    fulfilling   our.   313 

Duties,  to  parents  and   superiors,  244 

Duties,  towards   the    Church,   228 

Duties,   of   our   state,   317 

Easter,  232 

Easter,  Communion,  203 

Education,  2J9  scqq. 

Education  and  the  Church,  242 

Education,   irreligious,    110,   241 

Education,    may    become    a    hindrance    to 

religion.   111 
Education,    may   cause   the   loss   of    faith, 

110 
Ek-ments,   the,  of  Supernatural   life,  315 
Emotion,   275 
Envy.   360 

Equality,  before  God,   164,  209,  319 
Equality,    of    Mankind.    164 
Equivocation,  348 
Equivocation,   lawful,  348 
Eternal  life,  longing  for,  68,  70 
Eternity,  64,   69   scqq. 
Eternity,   its   duration,   70 
Eucharist,   the   Holy,    191   scqq. 
Eucharist,  all  three   Divine  Persons  truly 

present   in   the,    193   seqq. 
Eucharist,  the  soul  of   the   Church,  191 
Eucharist,   the   touchstone  of   faith,   191 
Evil,   the   social,  341 
Evolution,    137 

Evolution,  the  Darwinian  theory  of,  138 
Example,   the   best  teacher,  240,  290  seqq. 
Example,   the    force   of  290  seqq.,   323 
Excuses  for  sins,  214 
Experiments,    socialistic,    171 
Extravagance  in  dress,  366 
Extravagance,   leading   to    dishonesty,   366 
Extreme   Unction,    225 

Faith,  100  seqq.,  106  seqq.  (see  also  Reli- 
gion,  Church,   etc.) 

Faith    and    doubt,    124 

Faith  and  good  works,  108  seqq.,  175,  289 
serq. 

Faith    and    hope,   276 

Faith    and    the    unseen,    139 

Faith  and  understanding,  122 

Faith  and  the  salvation  of  those  not  of 
the,   78 

Faith,  destroyed  by  sin,  33S 

Faith,   fidelity   to   the,    109,   323 

Faith,   incompatible  with   doubt,  124 

Faith,   its  definition,   1C6  seqq. 

Faith,  its  doctrines  and  mysteries,  121 
seqq. 

Faith,  Its  loss,  due  to  perversity,  112 

Faith,  loss  of,  110,  112 

Faith,  our  inability  to  grasp  all  religious 
truths,    122 

Faith,    reasonable    and    unreasonable,    107 

Faith,  requires  exertion  in  its  practice, 
122 

Faith,  requires  a  sacrifice  of  our  under- 
standing,   122 

Faith,   steadfastness  in,  370 

Faith    and    the   commandments,   150 

Faith,    the   disposition   for,   103 

Faith,   the  foundation   of  virtue,   lOS 

Faith,   lost  through   human   respect,  369 

Faith,   the   refusal   of.    111 

Faith,    the    source    of,    117    seqq. 


taith,  truths  that   rest   on   tradition  only, 

117  seqq. 
Faith,   why  men  reject  the,  114 
Families,  large,  236 
Fashion,   366 
Fasting,    272,    3t!6   seqq. 
Forgiveness,   Christ's  example   of,  24,  28 
Forgiveness,    of     sin,    exercised    by    the 

state,  211 
Forgiveness,  of  sins,  the  power  of,  227 
Forgiveness,    our    duty    to    practice,    266 

scqq. 
Fortitude,  310  seqq. 
Freemasonry,  78,   168  scqq. 
Frequent   Communion,   2Ul   seqq. 

Gain,  unlawful,  358  scqq.    (see  also  Capi- 
tal, Wealth,  etc.) 
Gambling,    358 
Gentleness,  315 
Gentleness,  the  power  of,  315 
Ghost,  the  Holy,  35 
Ghost,  the  Holy,  why  we  must  love  Him, 

255 
God,   1   scqq. 
God,  what  is  God?  3 
God,  who  art  in   Heaven,  S 
God,  accepted  only  formally,  .137 
God  and  numan   society,   140 
God,    answers    prayer    without    interfering 

with    His  established   order.    184 
God,   conversing   with,   187,   292 
God,     co-operation     with,     175     scqq.,     289 

seqq. 
God,  demands  our  love,  234 
God,  desired  by  the  soiil,  13 
God,   ever  ready  to   hear  our  prayer,   184 

scq^j. 
God,  His  eternity,  3 
God,  His  existence,   1   seqq.,  139 
God,    attributes    of,    6   scqq.,    263 
God,  His  name,  13,  33  scqq.,  3A7 
God,    his    providence,    3,    8    scqq.,    11,    61, 

282    scqj. 
God,   His   providence   in   giving  us   Guar- 
dian Angels.  61 
God,  His  worship,  13 
God,    more    lenient   toward    mankind    than 

toward   angels,   6 
God,   only    one   God,   3 
God,   propitiation   of,   68 
God,  requires  our  co-operation,   175  scqq., 

289   seqq. 
God,  reverence  to,   104 
God,  sustaining  the  universe,   10 
God,   the   Father,   the   Son   and   the   Holy 
Ghost,   all   present  in  the   Holy   Eucha- 
rist,  193   seqq. 
God,  the  love  of,  209  seqq. 
God,   the  love  of  and   of   our   neighbour, 

254 
God,  the  means   He  uses,  178 
God,  the  mercy  of,  6,  20^!  scqq.,   257 
God,  the  supreme   good,  234 
God,   the   supreme   sovereign,   206 
God,   the  vengeance  of,   16S 
God,  the   will   of,  accomplished  by  obedi- 
ence, 274 
God,   union   with.   270 
God,   what   He   offers  us,   179 
God,  withdrawing  His  grace  from  impeni- 
tent  sinners,   336 
God's     assistance  necessary,  187 
God's    eternal    laws    unchangeable,    8 
God's   existence   our   consolation,   2 
God's  foreknowledge  not  interfering  with 

human   free   will,   11 
God's  permissicii  of  sin,  333 


374 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


God's   perfections,    268 

God's  providence  and  man's  free  will,   11 

God's  providence,   supposes  human  effort, 

God's  ways,  a  mystery  for  us,  10 

Good  works,   108  seqq.,   175,   289  seqq. 

Grace,  172  seqq.,  322.  361 

Grace,    actual,    173 

Grace,  a  gift  of  God,  174 

Grace,  available  even  in  the  last  moment, 

180 
Grace,    co-operation    with,    175    seqq.,    289 

seqq. 
Grace,    impeded   by    immorality,   339 
Grace,   necessity   of,   173,   180  seqq.,  324 
Grace,  of  God,  the  source  of  every  merit, 

324 
Grace,   sanctifying,   173 
Grace,    sufficient,    180 
Grace,    the,    of    God    and    the   burden    of 

life,   322 
Grace,  the,  of  the  Holy   Eucharist,   195 
Grace,  the  soul  in  the  state  of,  69 
Grace,    use   and   abuse   of,    177,   seqq. 
Grace,   withdrawn    as  punishment  of   sin, 

336 
Gratitude  to   God,   186 
Growth,   spiritual,   318 

Habit,  the  force  of,  222,  332 

Habits,   bad,   how  to  conquer,  222 

Hail  Mary,  the,  51  seqq. 

Happiness,  the  true  source  of,  321 

Hiaven,   90  seqq. 

Heaven,   the   glory   of,  92 

Heaven,   the  happiness  of,  90 

Heaven,   the   means  to   reach,  325 

Heaven,   its  various  degrees  of  glory,   64 

Hell,   93   seqq. 

Hell,    the   pains   of,   65,   95    seqq. 

Hell,  its  suffering  compared  with  the 
suffering   of   this   world,   97   seqq. 

Hell,  the  thought  of,  a  protection  against 
sinning,  98 

Hell,  the  disbelief  in,  a  punishment  of 
sin,  95 

Hell,  various  degrees  of  punishment  in, 
96 

Holy    Orders,    225    seqq. 

Honesty    (see  Justice) 

Hope,  the   effects   of,  276  'Seqq. 

Hope,   the   virtue  of,  275   seqq. 

Hoping  and  aspiring,  the  distinction  be- 
tween, 277 

Hopelessness,   the,    of   our  age,   279 

Human   nature,  the  frailty  of,  323 

Human    respect,    368    seqq. 

Humility,   302  seqq.,   361 

Humility,   the   lack   of,   304 

Humility,    false,   304 

Hypocrisy,  349   seqq. 

Idleness  incites  temptations,  298 

Tgnorancs,  culpable,  178 

Ignorance,  often  due  to  a  hatred  of  truth, 

157 
Immorality,  339  seqq.    (see  also   Impurity) 
Immorality,   detested   by   God,   340 
Immorality,   leading  to  loss  of  faith,  341 
Immortality,   67  seqq. 
Immortality,   all   men   that   ever  lived,  are 

living   still    and    will    live    forever,    70 
Immortality,    our    consolation,    68 
Immortality,   the  desire    for,   69 
Impediments,    234 
Impenitence,   339 

Imprudence   in   making  debts,  350 
Impure  jests,  343 


Impurity,  339  seqq. 

Impurity,   despised   by   savages,   341 

Impurity,    detested    even    by    Satan,    343 

Inaiflerence,  337 

Indulgences,  224 

Infallibility,    papal,    147   seqq. 

Infanticide,   190,  341 

Inner   life,   the,  316  seqq. 

Inquisition,  the,   154 

Inspirations,    175 

Intellectual  advancement,  often  an  ob- 
stacle  to    faith,    129 

Intelligence,   without   virtue,   269 

Intemperance,   311,    362   seqq. 

Intention,  the  importance  of,  289  seqa., 
334 

Intercession  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  50 
seqq. 

Intercession,   of  the   Angels,   60  seqq. 

Intercession,   of   the    Saints,   39  seqq. 

Intolerance,   153   seqq. 

Irreligious   books,    1/8,   301 

Irreligious,  the,  their  worldly  advantages, 
132 

Jealousy.  360  seqq. 

Jesus   Cnrist,    17  seqq. 

Jesus   Christ,   the   Birth   of,  20 

Jesus  Christ,  formed  of  Virgin  Earth  like 

Adam,  21 
Jesus  Christ,  a  Man  of  prayer,  32 
Jesus   Christ   and   poverty,   165 
Jesus   Christ,  attacks  on   His   Divinity,   19 
Jesus    Christ,    did    not    strive    for    popu- 
larity, 30 
Jesus  Christ,  following  in  His  foot-prints, 

317 
Jesus   Christ,   His  ascension,   25   seqq. 
Jesus   Christ,    His    Divinity,    18 
Jesus    Christ,    His    Holy    Name,    33 
Jesus  Christ,  His  humble   life,   132 
Jesus  Christ,  His  humble  soul,  19 
Jesus   Christ,   His   humility,   30,   132 
Jesus   Christ,    His   incarnation,    18 
Jesus  Christ,  His  incarnation  said  to  have 

caused   the   revolt   of  the   angels,   21 
Jesus   Christ,   His   life  of  sorrow,  27 
Jesus   Christ,   His   love,   22  seqq.,   255 
Jesus    Christ,    His    mercy,    27   seqq. 
Jesus   Christ,    His   patience,   27,   29 
Jesus   Christ,   the  proofs  of  His  resurrec- 
tion,  25 
Jesus  Christ,  His  Real  Presence,   188 
Jesus   Christ,   His   Sacred  Heart,  32 
Jesus  Christ,  His  Sacred  Passion,  22  seqq. 
Jesus   Christ,   His  spirit,  26  seqq. 
Jesus  Christ,   His  tears,  28 
Jesus  Christ,  historic  proof  of  His  life,  19 
Jesus   Christ,    in    the    Blessed    Sacrament, 

(see    Holy    Eucharist) 
Jesus    Christ,    our    example    in    suffering, 

282    seqq. 
Jesus    Christ,    sacrificed    by    sinful    man 

time    after    time,    23 
Jesus  Christ,  the  apparent  triumph  of  His 

enemies,   112  seqq. 
Jesus  Christ,  the   distress  of   His  soul,  23 
Jesus  Christ,  the   Good   Shepherd,   29 
Jesus    Christ,    why    He    came    in    poverty 

and   suffering,  22 
Toy,  320  seqq. 

Joy,    in    affliction,    284,    320    seqq. 
Judas,    might    have    been    absolved,    209 
Judge,    the    eternal,    79   seqq. 
Judge,    the    eternal    and    judges    of    this 

world,   79 
Judging  by  appearances,  356 
Judgment,    the,    78    seqq. 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


375 


iudgrment,  thf,  after  tloath,  78 
udgmcnt,     the,     a     revelation     of     God's 
goodness,  78 
Judgment,  the   day  of  the,  80  seqq. 
Judgment,    Divine   mercy   at    the,   78 
Judgment,   fear   of   the,   82   seqq. 

Judgment,    preparation    for    the,    84 
udgment,    private,    121,    130^    152 
Judgment,    rash,    84,    261,    3d5    seqq. 
Justice,  the   Divine,  29S 
Justice,    Divine,    satisfied    by    Holv    Mass, 

205 
Justice,  the  virtue  of,  314 

Kindness,  grace  conveyed  through,   179 

Knowledge,    241 

Knowledge,    human,    its   insufficiency,    137 

seqq. 
Knowledge,  of  self,  217,  317 
Knowledge,  use  and   abuse  of,  241 

Labour   and    Capital,    160   scgq. 

Labour,    condition    of,    164,   JS8 

Law    and    liberty,    166 

Law,  civil   and    relicious,  109 

Law,   the    Divine,   fear   of,   104 

Lent,  308 

Liberty,    166 

Liberty   and   Law,   166 

Life,  a  disorder  unles-s  the  soul  is  im- 
mortal,  67 

Life  and   eternity,  64 

Ljfe,  sinful,  destructive  of  faith,  355 

Life,   no   security   in   this,   318 

Life,   our   past,    lessons   of,   317 

Life,   the   religious,   361 

Life,   sufferings  in  this,  65 

Life   supernatural,   the   elements   of,   315 

Life,   temporal,  compared  with  eternal,  65 

Life,    the    inner,    182,   316  seqq. 

Life,   the   loss  of  a,  spent  in   sin,  331 

Life,  the  meaning  of,  64 

Life,  the  vicissitudes  of,  65 

Liturgy,  252 

Lord's  Prayer,  the,  182 

Lourdes,   124 

Love,   labours  of,  265 

Love,  the,  of  enemies,  265 

Love,  of  the  neighbour,  258  seqq.,  260 
seqq. 

Love,  of  the  neighbour  and  natural  an- 
tipathy, 258 

Love,   the   power   of,  265 

Lying,   347 

Man,    1.  31,  63  seqq.,   100,  263,   271 
Man,  Cnrist  alone  must  rule  in  his  heart, 

31 
Man,    dernands    perfection    in    everything 

except  in   his  own   way  of  living,  271 
Man,   nis  free  will,  8   (see  also  VVill) 
Man,  his  impulse  towards  eternal   life,  69 
Man,    his    nature    sanctified    by    the    In- 
carnation, 20  seqq. 
Man,   must  co-operate  with   grace,   11 
Man,  his  natural  inclination  towards  God, 

13 
Man,    shown    leniency    rather    than    the 

angels,   328 
Man,  soon  forgotten  after  death,  65 
Man,    the    resurrection    of    his    body,    63 

seqq. 
Man,  the  souls  of  men  are  to  replace  the 

fallen   angels,  60 
Man,  unable  to  fathom  God's  plans,  10 
Marital   love.   234 
Marriage,    170,    232   seqq. 


Marriage,   impediments  to,  234 

Marriage,   large    families,  236 

Marriage,  the   banns  of,  233 

Marriage,    mixed,   235 

Martyrs,    their    strength    and    courage    in 

Jesus,    33 
Mass,    Holy,   204   seqq. 
Mass,  Holy,  and  the  Sacrifice  of  Calvary, 

2()5 
Mass,    Holy,   distraction   at,   206 
Mass,   Holy,  oflfered  bv   Clod's  representa- 
tive, 2<J6 
Mass,   Holy,  satisfies  Divine  justice,  205 
Masses,   for   the   dead,  89 
Matrimony    (see  marriage) 
Means,    human,   our   trust   in    them,  278 
Meekness,   314   seqq. 
Men    equal    before    God,    209,    319 
Miracles,   123   seqq. 
Miracles    and    the    credulity    of    unbelief, 

158 
Miracles,  mean  no  change  in  the  decrees 

of  God,  123 
Misconduct,   an    obstacle   to    faith,    150 
Missionaries,   Catholic,   praise  of,  230 
Moderation    to    be    observed    in    fulfilling 

our   duties,  313 
Morning  prayer,   292 
Mortification,  3(i5 
Motion    Pictures,    343 
Mysteries,    121    seqq.,    131 
Mysteries,    the    two    great,    of    the    world, 

335 

Name,    the    Holy,    of   Jesus,   33   seqq.,   347 

(see   also   God) 

Nature,  human,  sanctified  by  the  Incarna- 
tion,   20 

Nature,  its,  order  and  the  order  of  grace, 
104 

Nature,   a   proof   of   God's  existence,   7 

Nature,    human,    its    frailty,    32J 

Near-Occasion    (see   Occasion) 

Neighbour,    who    is    our?    260   seqq. 

Newspapers,   299   seqq. 

Night   prayer,   292 

Non-Catholics,   charity   toward,   156,   261 

Non-Catholics,  their  salvation,  155  seqq., 
189 

Non-Catholics,  why  does  God  not  con- 
vert? 179 

Obedience,   274   seqq. 

Occasion,  the  near,  222,  298,  336,  338 

Opportunities,   for   the  practice   of   virtue, 

270.   318.   331 
Orders,    Holy,    225 

Orders,    Religious,    167.   198,   231    seqq. 
"Out   of  the   Church  no   Salvation,"   what 

this   really   means,   154  seqq.,   189 

Papacy,  the,  and  civilization,   145  seqq. 

Papal    infallibility,   147 

Papal  infallibility,  what  it  does  not  mean, 

147 
Parents,   obedience  to,  243 
Parents,    their   authority,    237 
Parents,    their    responsibility,    237    seqq. 
Passion,   the   ruling,  335 
Passions,  lawful   if  regulated,  343 
Passions,   resisting  the,   322 
Patience  in  suffering,  285 
Patience,   with    others,  262 
Peacs  of  God,  the,  21.  255 
Peace,    resulting   from    confession,   216 
Penance,  207  seqq. 
Penance,  a  consequence  of  sin,  207  seqq. 


376 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


Penance,  small,  for  great  sins,  216 

Penance,   the  delay  of,  212  seqq. 

Penance,  the  Sacrament  of,  a  court  of 
mercy,   210 

Penance,  the  Sacrament  of,  its  effect,  215 

Perfection,   sorrow   a   means   of,   264 

Perfection,    the    way    of,    315    seqq.,    319 

Persecution,    67,    132   seqq.,    231    seqq. 

Persecution,    patience    in,   231    seqq. 

Perseverance,   2y3   seqq. 

Perseverance,  impossible  without  prayer, 
185   seqq. 

Perseverance,  in  prayer,   186 

Persons,  the  Divine,  all  present  in  the 
Blessed   Sacrament,  193  seqq. 

Pictures  and  images  made  by  the  com- 
mand of  God,  42 

Pictures,  a  means  of  instruction,  249 

Political    economy    and    religion,    160 

Pope,    the,    142   seqq. 

Pope,  necessity  of  his  leadership,   143 

Pope  and   infallibility,   146 

Poverty,    164    seqq. 

Poverty,  should  not  mean  "pauperism," 
165 

Poverty,  the   Christian  view  of,  164  seqq. 

Prayer,  181  seqq.,  291  seqq. 

Prayer   and   Charity,   187 

Prayer,   attention  in,  137 

Prayer,  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
196 

Prayer,  disposition  for,  186 

Prayer,   distraction   in,   187 

Prayer,    efficacy    of^    185 

Prayer,    essential    in    religion,    182 

Prayer,  Jesus,   a    Man   of   prayer,  32 

Prayer,   love  of,   291  seqq. 

Prayer,   morning,   292 

Prayer,    night,   292 

Prayer,    perseverance    in,    186 

Prayer,  response  to,  183 

Prayer,   the    Lord's,    182 

Prayer,  the  proper  way  of,  187 

Prayers   from   a   sinful   heart,   57,   342 

Pravers,  how  the  Saints  can  know  of 
them,   39 

Predestination,    11   seqq. 

Preparation   for   Holy   Communion,  199 

Presumption,   338  seqq. 

Pretense,    lawful    and    unlawful,    348 

Pretense,    religious,    350 

Pretense,  the  cause  of  heresies,  350 

Pride,    361    seqq. 

Priest,   the,  God's   reiircsentative,  206 

Priests,    human,    228   scqj.,    357 

Priests,    the    proper    support    of,    228 

Priesthood,   the,   225 

Priesthood  and   celibacy,  228 

Priesthood,   respect    for   the,   230 

Priesthood,   its  power  to   forgive   sins.  227 

Priesthood,  the  office  and  the  man,  229 

Primacy,  the,  of  Peter,  142 

Progress  and  the  Church,   139  seqq. 

Progress,  spiritual,  319 

Protestant  ignorance  about  the  Catholic 
Church,  157 

Protestant,  prejudice,  154,  \17  seqq. 

Protestantism,    its    lack    of   unity,    153 

Protestants  and  Confession,  2'6,  217 

Protestants,  incapable  to  sense  the  mean- 
ing of  Catholic  things,  182 

Prudence,  311   seqq. 

Purgatory,  85  seaq. 

Purgatory   and   Holy   Communion,   197 

Purgatory,   consolations   of,  86 

Purgatory,  its  suffering  compared  with 
the    suffering    of    this    world,    88 

Purgatory,  its  proof  in  Holy  Scripture,  86 


Purgatory,  Protestant  belief  in,  90 

Purgatory,    the   fire   of,   85 

Purgatory,  the  soul  knows  not  the  length 

of  its  stay  there,  83 
Purity,   natural  and  supernatural,   273 

Quarrels,  264 

Rash  judgment,  84  seqq.,  261,  355  seqq. 
Real  Presence,  the,  188,  192  seqq.,  2o-(,  251 
Real    Presence  and   the   Church,   191 
Real   Presence,  miracles  to  prove  the,  195 

seqq. 
Real    Presence,    the    essence    of    Catholic 

worship,  193 
Reformation,    the,    142,    151    seqq.,    157 
Relapse  into  sin,  331 
Relics,      their      veneration      and      efficacy 

proved  in   the   Bible,  42 
Religion,     ICO     seqq.      (see     also     Faith, 

Church,    etc.) 
Religion,    an    obstacle    for    getting    on    in 

the  world,    132 
Religion    and     the    material     welfare     of 

mankind,   167 
Religion  and   science,  135  seqq. 
Religion,  benefits  of,  167 
Religion,    high    intellectual    cultivation    a 

hindrance   to,   101 
Religion,    impossible    without   prayer,   182 
Relic;ion,  its  meaning,  100 
Religion,    its    mysteries,    121    seqq. 
Religion,    its    perfection    must    consist    in 

harmony,    1(5 
Religion,   education   without,  241 
Religion,   natural,    100  seqq. 
Religion,   obscurity   in,   122 
Religion,    questions    of,    subordinated    to 

temporal    affairs,    116 
Religion,   the   basis   of   political   economy, 

160 
Religion,    the    essential    warmth    of    the 

soul,  ICO 
Religion,   the   life   of  civilization,   140 
Religion,  the  only  true  consolation.   166 
Religion,    the   source   of   beauty,    105 
Religion,   the   strongest   motive,    105 
Religion,    the    worldly    disadvantages    of, 

132 
Religion,     often     treated     as     a     private 

matter  of  individuals,  lf9 
Religion,    virtue    without,    102   seqq. 
Religion,    without    God    leading    to    error 

and  vice..   101 
Religious   life   weakened  by   the  spirit   of 

the    world,    170 
Reprobation,  12 
Resignation,   280  seqq. 
Resisting  passions.  322 
Resisting  the   truth.    Ill,   157 
Resolutions,    good,   219   seqq. 
Resolutions,   good,    not   carried    out,   221 
Resolutions,  good,  the  means  to  keep,  220 

seqq. 
Respect,   human,   368  seqq. 
Response   to   prayer,   183 
Response    to    prayer,    does    not    interfere 

with    God's   order,    184 
Responsibility   of  parents,  237 
Restitution,   222  seqq.,  359 
Resurrection  of  Christ,  its  witnesses,  25 
Resurrection,   of   the   dead,   64 
Revelation,   114  seqq. 
Revelation   and   science,   138 
Revelation   and    unbelief,    116 
Revelation,    entrusted    to    the    keeping   of 

the   Church.    130 
Revelation,  incompleteness  of,   114 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


377 


Revelation,  sufficiency  of,   115 
Revelation,   suited   to   human   underttand- 

ing,   115  seqq. 
Revelation,   the  meaning  of,   114 
Revelation,   the   necessity    of,    114 
Revenge,  the  malice  of,  263 
Righteousness,   scorned   by    the   world,   67 
Rosary,  the,  53 

Sacrament,  the  Blessed   (see  Holy  Eucha- 

rist) 
Sacraments,  the,  188  seqq. 
Sacraments,  their  effect  on  soul  and  body, 

183 
Sacramentals,  the,  245  seqq. 
Sacred   Heart,  the,  32 
Sacrifice   and   Communion,  204 
Sacrifice,  essential  in  worship.  204  seqq. 
Sacrifice,   the,    in    our    lives,   283 
Sacrifice,    the    holy,    of    the    Mass     (see 

Mass) 
Sacrifice,  the  rite  of,  203  seqq. 
Saint,   a,    in    the   world,  320 
Saints,    innocent,    209 
Saints,    penitent,    209 
Saints,   now   can   they   hear  our   prayers? 

39 
Saints,   know  what   happens  on   earth,   38 
Saints,  the  Communion  of,  38 
Saints,    perfect    Christians.    37 
Saints,  their  example  our  encouragement, 

37 
Saints,  their  various  degrees   of  glory,  38 
Saints,    their    intercession.    39   seqq. 
Saints,   their   pictures  and   relics,   41   seqq. 
Saints,   their   supernatural   powers,   36 
Saints,  their  veneration,  36  segq. 
Salvation,     an     opportunity    given     every 

man   for,   UX),   103,   156 
Salvation,    our    final    choice    made    long 
before   death,   79 

Salvation,     the    condition     of,     for    non- 
Catholics,   156 
Salvation,    the    importance    of,    65,    317 

Salvation,    the    means    of,    offered    to    all 
men.    103,    156 

Salvation,   of   those   outside    the   Church, 
155   seqq. 

Salvation,    uncertainty    of.    318,    335 

Satan,  the  service  of  62,  216,  295,  331 

Scandal.   354,  357  seqq. 

Scandal   givers,   357 

Scandals  in   the   Church,   223   seqq.,   357 

Schools,  parochial.  242 

Science  and    Religion,   135 

Science,    freedom    of    teaching    not    unre- 
stricted  even   amontr  Protestants,   137 

Science,   irreligious,   111 

Science,   its   theories   shortlived.    137   seqq. 

Science,    opposed    to    religion,    ICl    seqq. 

Scientists,    their    great    majority    believers 
in  God.  136 

Scorn,    345 

Scripture    (see   Bible) 

Seal,   the,   of    Confession,   214 

Secret    Societies.    168  seqq. 

Seduction,  339,  342 

Self-denial.    306 

Self-discipline,  217,  306 

Self-estimation,  inordinate,  361 

Shame   in    Confession.   214 

Sickness    (see   Adversities) 

Si:m.   the.    of   the    Cross.    247 

Signs  and  ceremonies,  248  seqq. 

Simulation,  lawful,  348 

Sin,  326  seqq. 

Sin,    definition   of,   326   seqq. 

Sin,  destructive  of  faith,  335 


.'^in,  man  not  forced  to,  333 

Sin,   mortal,  328  seqq. 

Sin,    venial,    330,   337 

Sin,  must  be,  334 

Sin,  original,  342 

Sin,  relapse  into,  331 

Sin,   should   God  prevent  all?   333 

Sin,    the   consequence   of   one,   334 

Sin,    the   intention   in,   334 

Sin,  the,  of  the  angels,  21,  60.  327 

Sin,  a  permanent  state,  therefore  punish- 
ment  permanent,  93 

Sin,    the    punishment    of,    207 

Sin,   the   soul   in   the   state  of,   69 

Sins,  excuses  for,  214 

Sins,  of  thought  more  dangerous  than 
sins  of  deed,   330 

Sins,    capital.    340 

Sins,   the   obligation   to   confess,   216 

Sinner,  afraid  his  prayer  would  be  heard, 
342 

Sinner,  his  illusion,  337 

Sinners,   hope    for,   203   seqq.,   277 

Sinners,  lignt  and  grace  withdrawn  from 
obstinate,    336 

Skepticism,    337 

Slander,  351   seqq..  354 

Slander,    of    the    Church,    158 

Slanderer,  the,  worse  than  the  calumni- 
ator,  354 

Social  conditions  and  the  Church.  159 

Social   service   of   the   Church,   259 

Socialism,    169  seqq. 

Socialistic  experiments  in  the  United 
States,   171 

Society,  human,  its  present  condition,  140 

Sorrow,   a   means   of   perfection,  284 

Soul,    the,   66   seqq. 

Soul,   incapable   of   corruption,   67 

Soul,  its  craving  for  religion,  100 

Soul,    its   existence.    71 

Soul,  its  nature,  67 

Soul,   the,   in    mortal    sin,   329 

Soul,   the,   in   venial   sin,   329 

Soul,  the,  in  the  state  of  grace  and  in 
the   state  of  sin,   69 

Soul,  its  desire  for  God,  13 

Soul,  the  value  of  a,  68 

Speech,     (see    Tongue) 

Spirits,   evil,  21,  60,  62,  295,  327 

Spiritual,  joy,  320  seqq. 

Sponsors,    189   seoq. 

State  and  the  Church,  159 

S'ate,   obedience  to   its  laws,   159 

State,  of  life,  the  duties  of  our,  317 

Statues,    249 

Stealing,  358 

Submission    of   the    mind,    148 

Submission,  to   the   Church,  147  seqq. 

Suffering,  282  seqq. 

Suffering,    our    strength    in,    286 

Suffering,   patience   in,   285 

Suffering,  the  example  of  Jesus,  27 

Suffering,    the    worldly    view    of,    285 

Suffering,    wholesome,   284   seqq. 

Suicide,   363 

Supernatural   life,   the  elements  of,  315 

Superstition,   363   seqq. 

Tale-bearing,  353 
Temperance,    311,    362    seqq. 
Temperance,   the   virtue   of,  272 
Temptations,   287.   2^4   seqq. 
Temptations    ana    Holy    Communion,    202 
Temptations   and    the    near    occasion,   296 

seqq. 
Temptations,  Mary,  our  help  in,  54  seqq. 
Temptations,   means  against,   295  seqq. 


378 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 


Temptations,    necessary    for   the   practice 

of   virtues,   294,   344 
Temptations,    necessitated    by    free    will, 

2y4 
Temptations,  not  of  themselves  sinful,  296 
Temptations,   the   three  chief,   295 
Temptations,    to    despair,    212  seqq. 
Tepidity,    337,   367 
Testimony,   false,   351 
Theft,    358 
Tolerance,  153 

Tolerance   and   the   Church,   153  seqq. 
Tolerance  of  Catholics  and  non-Catholics, 

154 
Tolerance,  toward  non-Catholics,  156 
Tongue,   sins   of   the,   351   seqq. 
Tongue,  use  of  the,  324  seqq. 
Tradition,    117   seqq. 
Training,   moral,    241 
Training,    religious,    242 
Trials,   287 

Trinity,  the  Blessed,  13  seqq.,  193  se^q. 
Trinity,    images    of    the    Blessed    Trinity, 

16   seqq. 
Tvinity,   the    Father   and   the    Holy    Ghost 

did  not  become  man  with  Jesus,  21 
Trinity,    the    meaning    of    "nature"    and 

"person,"   15   seqq. 
Truth  and  intolerance,   153 
Truth,   resisting  the,   111,   157 
Truth,  unwelcome  not  accepted,  158 

Unbelief,   its   credulity,    158 
Unbelief,  often   due   to   misconduct,   103 
Unbelief,   reasons   for,    114  seqq. 
Uncertainty    of   salvation,   318 
Uncharitable,    the    responsibility    of    the, 

310 
Unrest  of  the  age,  169 
Unrighteousness,    the    triumph    of,    in    the 

world,  67 
Untruthfulness,  347  seqq. 

Vices  and  their  opposing  virtues,  271 
Vices,    the    ruling,    of    pagan    Rome,    22 
Vices,   the  ruling,   of   our   day,  22 
Virgin,  The  Blessed,  43  seqq. 
Virgin,  The  Blessed,  the  Mother  of  God, 

43   seqq. 
Virgin,    The    Blessed,    as    the    Mother    of 

God   necessarily   holy,  44 
Virgin,  The  Blessed  and  the  devotion  of 

the    Seven    Dolours,   57 
Virgin,   The   Blessed   and   the   Rosary,   53 

seqq. 
Virgin,  The  Blessed,  her  Assumption,  49 
Virgin,   The   Blessed,   her   death,  48  seqq. 
Virgin,     The     Blessed,     her     holiness,     44 

seqq. 
Virgin,     The     Blessed,     her     Immaculate 

Conception,   45   seqq. 
Virgin,   The   Blessed,   her  intercession,   50 

seqq. 
Virgin,     The     Blessed,     miracles    worked 

through  her  intercession,  55  seqq. 
Virgin,    The    Blessed,    her    place    in    the 

Church,   46 
Virgin,  The  Blessed,  her  virtues,  50  seqq. 
Virgin,   The   Blessed,   the   Hail    Mary,   51 

seqq. 
Vircin,     The     Blessed,     the     life     of     the 

Church,    48 
Virgin,  The   Blessed,   the   word   "woman," 

47 


Virginity,  273 

Virtue,  268   seqq. 

Virtue  and   Faith   108 

Virtue,  heroic,  272 

Virtue,   natural,    102  seqq. 

Virtue,     natural     and     supernatural,     268 

seqq. 
Virtue,     necessary     if     intelligence    is    to 

bring   good   results,   269 
Virtue,   our   opportunity   to    practice,   270, 

318,  331 
Virtue,  presupposes  natural  probity,  271 
Virtue,  without  religion,  is  no  proof  that 

religion    is   superfluous,    102  seqq. 
Virtue,  worldly,  269 
Virtue,   the   practice  of,   223 
Virtues,    small,   make   great    Saints,   272 
Virtues,    the    Cardinal,    310   seqq. 
Virtues,   Christian,   no   progress  in,   139 
Virtues,  vs.  vices,  271 
Vocation,    of   children   and   the   authority 

of  parents,  238 
V^ows,  prudence  in  making,  312 
Vulgarity,  343 

Wages,  rightful,  358 

War,    European,    166,    363 

Way,   the,    of   Perfection,   315   seqq. 

Wealth,   its  duties,   163 

Wealth,   its  necessity,   162 

Wealth,    the    state    of,    160    seqq. 

Wealth,    unlawful,    358 

Wealthy,   the  duties  of  the,   160  seqq. 

Wealthy,  the  words  of  the,  vs.  the  words 

of  St.  Peter,  259 
Will,  exertion  of  the,  essential  for  salva- 
tion,  175 
Will,   free,   of   man,   11   seqq. 
Will,    free,    not    interfered    with    by    the 

foreknowledge    of    God,    11    seqq. 
Will,   submission    of   the,    131 
Will,    perverse,    an    obstacle   to    faith,   129 
Wisdom,   the,   of   the   crucifix,  321 
Womanhood,  emancipated,   170 
Words,   kind,  conveying  grace,  179 
Work,  163  seqq. 

Workmen,   the   cheating  of,   358 
Works   and    faith,    175,    289   seqq. 
Works,   good,   the    intention   in,   289   seqq. 
Works,    good,    essential,    11 
Works   of   mercy,   309 
World,  the,  and  God,  66 
World,    its   apostasy    from   God,    109 
World,    its   rebellion    against    the   yoke    of 

faith,    122 
World,   the  discord  in   the  immoral,  67 
World,   the   lure   of  the,  364 
World,    opposed    to    the    Church,    127 
World,   the   spirit   of   the,    170 
World,    the    wisdom    of    the,    applied    to 

spiritual    things,    269 
Worldliness,  366 
Worldlings,    two    kinds   of,   367 
Worldly  benefits,  an  obstacle  to  salvation, 

319 
Worldly   things,    the    love   of,   364   seqq. 
Worldly    things,    the   vanity    of,   365 
Worldly   view,    the,    of   suffering,    285 
Worship,  Catholic  and  the  Real  Presence, 

193 
Worship,  external,  249 
Worship,  of   God,   13,   201 
Worship,  without  sacrifice,  204 

Year,  close  of  the,  317 


U.  C.  BERKELEY  LIgARIES 


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